That Phantom Player
by Mademoiselle Z
Summary: AU, ghost!Kuroko. One day, Aomine decided to just practice in the rumored haunted fourth auditorium, and met a strange boy. Later, he, along with his friends, found out that the boy wasn't a human, and was the reason why five certain basketball prodigies in Japan decided to quit basketball. GOMxKurokoxGOM(?)
1. Teikou's Fourth Auditorium Ghost

**'sup o w o)/**

**I know I haven't updated Teiko Koko. been drowning in writer's block for that story, to the point I just wish I had never uploaded it. **

**never mind**

**... and I figured, this is the very first KnB story I came up without actually bothering to write it in bahasa first. so if you did not notice, other KnB stories I wrote is originally written in Bahasa, then I translated it into english and send it to my beta reader before uploaded. oh, and this story isn't beta'd, so excuse me for the grammar crime I did here and there**

**I should translating a new AkaKuro oneshot of mine into english, but been too lazy. in exchange, here, I bring you a (hopefully) multichapter fiction of GOMxKurokoxGOM(?). this is a fresh idea I write just a moment a muse paid a visit to me lol. I actually was fooling around, then read an AoKuro about Kuroko is an imaginary and Aomine is frustated about it. then, this happened. ... I know this story does not actually have anything like in that story xD; my mind is strange sometimes.. believe me, a first ever novel I finished is inspired by a cup of coffee my driver given to me, and the story isn't 100% involved about a cup of coffee, but something else big xD**

**oh well, let's just begin.**

**Kuroko No Basuke (c) Tadatoshi Fujimaki sensei**

* * *

**Teikou's Fourth Auditorium Ghost**

* * *

Teikou Middle School Basketball Club.

A super strong school with more than a hundred club members, boasting several successive championship wins.

But, even in that glorious history, there is still a team that can, without fail, be called the strongest. A generation with five players with a talent like you would see once in ten years, called the "Generation of Miracles", specialized in five different positions for each five persons in the group.

Years by, the said generations became pro, and even won the National Japan Basketball League together, only to quit basketball just two years after altogether, continuing their own lives with five different occupations that had nothing to do with basketball, cutting their relationships as if there had never known each other in first place, but still have each other's numbers kept in their phones, secretly hoping that they would return to what they were before.

It all happened for only a reason. Only a person could made such destruction in all five.

Back in their Teikou days, despite nobody knowing him and not being in any match records, there was still one more person the five geniuses acknowledged as superior, yet destroyed them by a mere one action. An irreversible thing that drove them the way they are now.

* * *

Teikou Middle School, nowadays.

After school, as always, Momoi started to prepare stuffs for Teikou's first string basketball club training, while the two lower strings will be taken care by another two girls who helped her with managering stuffs. Taking her leave immediately, she excused herself from the two girls, telling them she's about to get some towels from laundry room.

Being a manager in a boys basketball club sure is a thing. Despite being a first year as she was, she had already a lot of stuffs to do. Taking care boys in her age is a real pain in her ass. But, she did her stuff willingly anyway, as she wanted to see her childhood friend grow to become Japan's basketball player number one.

She smiled at the thought, then shook her head to focus on picking up the already ready-to-use towels.

"Momoi-chan!"

Momoi glanced to the way where she thought the voice came from, and found some girls from other clubs approaching her. She smiled widely as she ran into them as well.

"Kanae-chan, Mii-chan!" She hugged them, returned by the other two immediately. "So you two finally back from volley seminar camp?"

"Yes!" The brunette girl, Kanae, smiled.

"Ah, let us help you, Momoi-chan!" The other girl, Mii-chan, picked up some towels from her, easing her burden. The towels really piled up since they're not only for the first string, but for the two lower strings as well.

"No, no! You don't have to!" Momoi panicked. "Besides, don't you two have to practice as well?"

"The coach decided to let us have a day-off from club activity, since the others are still tired from the seminar camp, so we decided to help you around to keep eyes on the boys!" Kanae giggled, picking up some towels. "Besides… I want to see Midorima-kun's practicing!"

"Ah~ I want to see Murasakibara-kun as well~" Mii sighed dreamily.

Momoi rolled her eyes. Though she knew, being the youngest first string made certain five boys famos and liked by girls.

"Ooh, and, Momoi-chan, have you heard a story about the basketball club fourth auditorium?" Kanae blurted the topic out of nowhere.

"There's a story about it?" Momoi questioned. Being a new manager she was, all she knew about that auditorium was that building is old and always empty, and only school cleaners would enter that building in school hour to clean up the dusts.

"Yes! And we just figured it out from our senpais in volley club!" Kanae exclaimed. "They have friends from basketball club who told them about the auditorium!"

"And what's the story…?" Momoi was unsure, but she got a bad feeling about this.

"That… that fourth auditorium resided by a ghost!"

* * *

"Good work today, everyone. And coach just phoned me that he'll be back in a week. Till then, he expects us to train harder for the practice match with Kirisaki Middle School. Now, practice dismissed." Nijimura said, as he dismissed everyone. He went with the others as well to have a quick shower before home.

Unlike others, a tanned first year decided to stay to practice some more. But, he knew, nobody was allowed to use first string auditorium after practice, so he headed to the two and third string auditorium.

But he later found the two auditoriums were filled by the others from basketball club. He wonder why lately, more and more people practicing til late just like him as well. He sighed.

Oh, why don't he use the fourth auditorium? He was sure no one would mind if he 'borrow' that place a bit. Besides, this arrogant excuse called school wasted a lot of money to build four gyms while letting one of them left unused.

"Oh, Dai—Aomine-kun, where're you heading to?" Momoi appeared out of nowhere.

Aomine turned to her. "To the fourth gym. It's too crowdy here, I can't play basketball peacefully." He said. "By the way, what's with you calling me "Aomine-kun"?"

"Hey, I just had to; if I call you Dai-chan, people will talk!" She whispered, getting a roll of eyes from her childhood friend in return. "Besides… are you sure you want to go to the fourth auditorium?"

"Why are you asking asking me that?" Aomine raised an eyebrow.

"Because… because!" Momoi started to freaking out. "There's a rumor going around that, recently, a ghost has been showing up around there!"

"Hey, what a pair of shoes. That's the brand Kobe Bryant used, right?" Ignoring his childhood friend, he praised a pair of shoes from a random kid passed by.

"Aomine-kun!" Momoi whined.

"Geez, quit that crap, Satsuki. Ghosts don't exist, and I'm sure we are already in that age where we couldn't believe mystical things. Believing ghosts do exist is just like believing a tooth fairy would come and bring you chocolates if you put your milk teeth under your pillow in exchange."

"I know you're still hurt when you found out that tooth fairy did not exist."

"I didn't say that!'

"Whatever! Just don't blame me if you clash into the ghost!"

"You shut up!" Aomine groaned as he taking his leave to the fourth auditorium, not wanting to have longer argument with Momoi.

Stupid Satsuki, he thought. There's no way ghosts exist, he thought. He'll definitely show her that nothing's unusual in the unused gym, he thought.

As he got closer to the said building, he could hear a faint sound of dribbling balls. Judging by the sound, he was sure there's only one or two persons from his basketball club practicing inside.

"Hel~lo." He said lazily, as he opened the door.

There's nobody inside. Let alone a person, the sound of balls dribbling disappeared a millisecond after Aomine opened the door.

He froze.

The-there's no way nobody inside, right!? There's just a sound of somebody's practicing inside, right?! So why, why…

"Hello."

Aomine shrieked a so manly scream as he ran into the nearest corner, shielding everything around him with his arms as if protecting himself from harm beings that would attack him in any minute he let his guard off.

"…Ah?" Then, he realized that it was just a simple hello. So he turned his head to the source of the greeting and found a human. Yeah, it definitely was a human.

The said human is a guy, probably in his year due to the short height he had. He looked fragile with such white skin and light blue locks he had. He also wore Teikou's shorts number 15 and a plain white t-shirt.

Oh, he was from the team.

"Y-you! You scared me!" Aomine pointed to him.

The guy pouted. "It's not nice to point out a finger just like that. But I do realize I'm at fault. I apologize for such introduction, my name is Kuroko Tetsuya."

"Ah…" Aomine scratched his head. "I'm Aomine Daiki."

"I see…" The deadpanned expression somehow chilled Aomine to no end. "Are you, by any chance, want to overpractice in this gym as well?"

"Uh, I guess so. The other auditoriums are filled already. I can't play in that kind of place."

Kuroko pulled a small smile, made Aomine a bit surprised. Sure Kuroko'straight expression a bit scarying him, but to think that this guy could look good in only smiling a bit made Aomine blushed for unknown reason. But he roughly put that aside.

"Oh, so you're in the regulars? I thought I haven't see you! You must have a really, really weak presence, haven't you?" Aomine laughed.

"That's not very nice, Aomine-kun." Kuroko pouted again. "But yeah, I'm in the regulars."

"I see, I see. Well, I'm gonna stay in the bench for the next match, but hopefully I'll be starter if I work hard!" Aomine said proudly, grinning from ear to ear. "Let's work hard together, okay?"

Kuroko was stunned.

He haven't see such a basketballhead for a good long while, so meeting a person like Aomine somehow filled him. Like he already found what he longed for years. What he yearned for years.

Kuroko knew, he was empty. But he was sure, if he could watch a person like Aomine some more, he could fill what's needed to fill in him. He could fill the big gap he felt in his heart.

And he was certain, right now, he was pleased.

"It's good meeting a person like you, Aomine-kun." Kuroko smiled. "But I believe it's already too late, you should head home now. It's already past eight."

Aomine shrieked. "Eep! It's already late and I haven't even dunked a single ball! But mom's gonna angry if I stay any longer! Ja, Tetsu!" And with that, he left.

So did Kuroko, after he raised an eyebrow on the name Aomine given to him.

* * *

"Aominecchi! So mean! I waited for you for hours in the second gym, but you did not come!"

It was still early in the morning on the gate of Teikou Middle School, Aomine yawned and Momoi was busy texting with her friends. He thought this morning will be more peaceful, and when he heard Kise's whining from afar, he knew he was wrong.

"Geez, shut up, Kise! It's still too early to make me mocking you!"

"Nobody's asking you to mock me, Aominecchi!" Another whine.

"Morning, everyone." Akashi appeared, as Midorima and Murasakibara followed him by his right and left.

Momoi flipped her phone closed. "Morning, Akashi-kun! Morning to you too, Midorima-kun, Murasakibara-kun!"

"It's so lively, isn't it Aomine?" Akashi asked calmly, but somehow made Daiki felt he was being mocked by his vice-captain.

"More like noisy." Midorima grumbled, making Aomine pleased that somebody had already in his side.

"Can't agree more with Mido-chin~" Said Murasakibara with his mouth full.

"Uwaaah! Everyone's being mean to me!" Kise fakingly cried. "Right, Akashicchi?"

"Murasakibara, it's not nice to eat snacks so early in morning. Have my sandwiches instead."

"Okay, Aka-chin~"

"Even Akashicchi's ignoring me!"

"But, really, I wonder where did you went after practice, Aomine-kun."

"Ah…" Aomine rubbed the back of his neck. "Not really, I just intended to play a bit longer in the fourth gym."

"And you did?"

"Nope, all I did just meet a regular from our team. It seemed that I got really caught into our conversation that I didn't realized it was already so late, so I didn't get to play." Aomine shrugged.

It seemed that Aomine's story poked the other's curiosity. "Really? Who?" Midorima asked.

"I think it's Kuroko Tetsuya or something… I decided to just call him Tetsu."

Akashi raised an eyebrow. "There's no regulars named Kuroko Tetsuya."

"Huh? But he said he was from regular. And I definitely sure his name is Tetsu. He even wore Teikou shorts, though he didn't wear the upper half of the basketball uniform."

"Nobody in the team practiced with the basketball uniform on, Aomine. And you know that.."

"But I was sure of that!"

"Geez, boys, relax!" Momoi decided to clash in. "I also do not know anyone named Kuroko Tetsuya in first string, let alone have anyone in our basketball club with that name!"

Aomine's eyes widened. "Really?"

"He must be some alumnus who decided to borrow Teikou's gym for a bit. And jugding by how easy he borrowed the entire building, he must be a prodigy." Midorima said, fixing his glasses.

"Sounds coherent, but it's better to confirm it to our captain."

Everyone agreed.

* * *

However, Nijimura wasn't pleased when he was questioned about this Kuroko Tetsuya.

"Out of all things you can ask to your captain, is this the only thing worth my time?" Nijimura sighed.

"Hey, what's with that?!" Aomine twitched in annoyance.

Nijimura brushed it off. "Anyway, are you sure you met this Kuroko Tetsuya last night?"

"I can swear to my throat, I met Tetsu last night! He wore Teikou's basketball uniform shorts!"

"Calm down, Aomine." Midorima sighed.

How can I, Aomine thought. He didn't know why, but he found it frustating that somebody he just met wasn't unknown, as if he never existed in first place. Not to mention the curiosity he had, wondering who actually is this Tetsu guy…?

"I know him. But he's not in our team for sure." Nijimura said.

An "Huh?" questioned by six juniors cluelessly.

Nijimura nodded. However, his facial expression hardened.

"Could it be he's from other clubs who happened to have shorts just like us had?" Kise asked.

"Nope, our uniform is special. Besides, I said he _is _not in our team, but he _was _in regular."

"Was? So he's an alumnus, then?" This time Midorima asked.

"Nope. He never graduated from Teikou."

"Then what is it!" Aomine eagerly said.

"Kuroko Tetsuya… _was_ our senior."

"Huh?"

"Kuroko Tetsuya was our senior who hung himself in the fourth auditorium in his third year ten years ago."

* * *

**Continue?**


	2. He's A Ghost?

**Ah~ finally, an update!**

**I actually wrote this chapter right after I finished the first one, and finished on the same day! teehee! I supposed to post this on Sunday (which is still hours away), but I just couldn't wait anymore!**

**oh, and I forgot to give some warnings. there'll be two GOMs, older ones and younger ones. and the younger GOM have black hair like normal Japanese teenagers. sorry for the inconvenience. but I'll try to not describe their hair color that much! this is for the plot's sake ^^; I'm so sorry! however, if I accidentally describe the younger GOMs hair with their original colors, please let me know and I'll fix it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko No Basuke**

* * *

A ball dropped on the floor of the fourth auditorium, rolling to the edge of the the basketball court, and stopped before the pole of the basketball hoop nearby.

Then, it floated by itself, moved as if somebody dribbled it, stopped in the middle of the air, then it was thrown and passed inside the hoop in weird movement from the free throw area.

Moments later, a (not really) person with blue hair and fair skin appeared, standing in the very same spot from where the ball was thrown. As though his blue iris watched the ball movement, his mind seemed wandering off.

_"Ah…" Aomine scratched his head. "I'm Aomine Daiki."_

He closed both of his eyes.

_"Well, I'm gonna stay in the bench for the next match, but hopefully I'll be starter if I work hard!"_

Then reopened them.

_ "Let's work hard together, okay?"_

A smile formed in his face.

"I never thought somebody so similar could be so different at the same time." He chuckled silently. "I think it wont hurt to let him know some things about myself."

Moments later, his expression changed back into the deadpanned one.

"But, unlike him… you do not care about my basketball, not even a bit, _Daiki-kun_."

* * *

As always Aomine, along with Murasakibara, Midorima, Momoi, and Akashi spent lunch time on Teikou's rooftop.

Usually, they'd be really loud as if the rooftop was filled by a class of preschoolers. Aomine would often stole Kise's lunch, followed by a neverending argument about how a single meatball would make a difference. Akas-hi and Midorima would tell Murasakibara at least once in every fifteen minutes to dig in the main course and not the dessert first. Murasakibara would offer them snacks after they finished lunch. And Momoi would offer them to have some of her handmade lunch, which the five boys desperately rejected.

But, today is different.

Aomine dug in his own lunch without stealing anything from Kise's food, Kise ate without any words chirped from him, Akashi and Midorima didn't bothered to tell Murasakibara to finish the main course first then the dessert, and Momoi's offer rejected in an unusually calm "sorry, we're full".

Nothing wrong happened. They were just confused.

* * *

_"Kuroko Tetsuya was our senior who hung himself in the fourth auditorium in his third year ten years ago."_

_Silence filled the school backyard. The six freshmen was stunned by what he said._

_"Haa? Are you joking me?" Aomine twitched. "Are you saying that it was a ghost who I encountered last night? Don't mock me!"_

_"I'm being serious here." Nijimura shrugged. "If you don't believe me, then follow me."_

_So they followed Nijimura to the basketball club locker room._

_Nijimura directed them to a locker in the corner of the room, the locker that nobody saw anyone ever touching it. Then, he put a code 1115 to the locker, and it opened._

_Inside, there's only a basketball jersey number fifteen, and a pile of sport magazines from ten to twelve years ago. There was also an empty plastic cup from Maji, they recognized it as a cup of milkshake beverage from the said restaurant._

_"You read this edition," Nijimura instructed, picking up one of the magazines and giving it to Akashi._

_Akashi did immediately. "This magazine wrote about our team? Wait, this is an edition from twelve years ago."_

_"Yes. They wrote about five geniuses who enter first string in their first year, just like you guys." Nijimura smiled. "And… they and you have so much similarities."_

_"What similarities?"_

_Nijimura did not reply. He took back the magazine, and gave Akashi another one._

_"An edition of ten years ago?" Akashi took it, opened straight to the page fifteen of the magazine._

**_Tokyo, TNews—A middleschooler from Teikou Middle School commited suicide by hanging himself on one of the auditorium for basketball club of the said school. The middleschooler known as Kuroko Tetsuya, the sixth player of Teikou's Generation of Miracles, a group of five basketball prodigy. His motive is unknown, and no one from the Generation of Miracles said a word about this. They refused to be interviewed about the loss of their teammate._**

_"This…?" Aomine read in disbelief. So what Nijimura said was true._

_Momoi shivered. She remembered what her friends said. So the rumor is true after all._

_"So it was true," Akashi spoke. "That, that Kuroko Tetsuya you met is a ghost."_

_"That's not possible! Ghosts don't exist. This is the era of science, believing that kind of thing is too bothersome." Midorima said._

_"Said the person who follows every piece of shit Oha-Asa said." Aomine mocked._

_"Language, Aomine." Akashi scolded._

_"My bad."_

_Aomine took the magazine from Akashi's hands, then read it himself until he found a photo of a similar face. "Hey, he's really the Kuroko Tetsuya I met! I really remember how he looked like last night, and this is really him. How many people named Kuroko Tetsuya who also had light blue hair and eyes?"_

_Akashi said. "I also do not believe that kind of thing, and always refused to. But, all we can do is just believing that this Kuroko Tetsuya is a ghost who haunted the fourth auditorium."_

* * *

Akashi, despite being a quiet, well-mannered young man, who usually disliked unnecessary noises, disliked the uncomfortable silence he faced even more. He preferred his teammates to be their usual selves, the ones who gave him the usual headache, not that he would speak it out loud so bluntly.

"Well, everyone." He said, broke the silence as he saw everybody finished their lunches, except Murasakibara who always had snacks and sweets piled in his mouth. "I believe what Nijimura-senpai told us quite bothering our mind until this very moment. So, I suggest that we all should visit the fourth auditorium after basketball practice finished. Any objection?"

A silence, once again, made Akashi internally sighed. Everyone shook their head in response, as they were too curious to let this chance slip.

"Good. I expect you to be ready at least twenty minutes after practice." Akashi smiled anyway. The quicker he solved this mystery, the faster they'll return to their old selves.

* * *

"Practice dismissed!"

The five freshmen went straight to the shower room, while Momoi quickly gave the boys the towels they needed and told them to just put it in the laundry so she'll wash it next morning.

In less than twenty minutes, the six teens gathered, and excused themselves.

"What's with them? All of them seemed to be out of mind in the practice, and left the club earlier than usual." A sophomore asked to Nijimura.

It was true. Aomine and Kise did not have any mini competition, and Kise did not even beg for it. Aomine even refused anyone from the club to have a one-on-one with him. Midorima's shoot only got in nine out of ten shots. Murasakibara did not even bother to not let his guard down when he was on defense. And Momoi almost forgot to give them towels during practice break.

"No idea. Can't believe Akashi did the same too. I think that whatever the reason is, it must be so serious that Akashi also affected by that." Nijimura commented.

"Hey, could it be it has something to do with your business with them this morning?"

"Huh? What business?"

"That business. Whatever the business is."

"Which one?"

The sophomore looked a bit annoyed. "They picked you out from our class before the morning roll, when you fell asleep in your chair, remember? Akashi asked you that if you would mind to spare some time for them about basketball matters, and you went to the school backyard along with them. Then, a few minutes before our sensei came, you were back and fell asleep again."

Nijimura raised an eyebrow. "…Did them? I was asleep from the moment I arrived at class till you woke me up for the morning roll!"

"What?"

* * *

"Here we go."

Six of them already stood in front of the fourth auditorium. Akashi was, of course, stood in the front, followed by Murasakibara and Midorima, along with Aomine in the very behind with Kise and Momoi clinging in his left and right hand.

"I… It's actually a bit scaryyyy…" Kise whined.

"S-sh-shut up, K-Kise. Y-you-you're a m-man, you s-shouldn't be scared about t-this shit!"

"Said the person who is trembling and cursing at the same time." Midorima said.

"Sh-shut up, megane!"

"Sssh. Quiet." Akashi instructed.

Slowly, but surely, Akashi opened the door of the fourth auditorium. He secretly expected the face of the ghost will suddenly appeared in his face as he opened the door, but nothing came out. It's only dark and empty inside.

"Nothing is here." Akashi commented.

"Mine-chin~ you sure he's here last night~?"

"I'm sure!"

"Does he dislike our arrival, then?" Akashi was a bit disappointed at the idea.

"Maybe we're too noisy, so he's annoyed and leaves~" Murasakibara childishly said. "If he's angry, I'll give him some of my snacks so he won't be angry to us~"

"Ghosts don't eat, Murasakibara." Midorima commented. _And don't exist too_.

"I don't know whether I'm relieved or not~" Momoi's legs stopped to shake.

"Can't agree more," Kise sighed in relief.

"Yeah, I think he's bothered by our presence. Maybe he appeared last night because Aomine was alone, though that guy would just as noisy as usual even if he's alone."

"I'm not Kise!"

"Aominecchi's so mean!"

Akashi sighed. "Well, if we have bothered him, then we should take our leave now, before he gets angry at us."

"I'm not angry."

A voice suddenly heard, made the six froze.

The lights went all on.

Then, they saw a kid appeared out of nowhere under one of the basketball hoop. He stood with a basketball in his hands. His appearance looked exactly like what Aomine saw last night; light blue locks, eyes with matching color, white pale skin, deadpanning expression, plain white t-shirt, Teikou's basketball jersey shorts.

"I'm not angry."

He walked to them, no floating feet or anything, as if he was an ordinary human being. But they noticed his steps did not make any sound, which they found terrifying.

He stopped, right before them… before Akashi, to be exact. Akashi's face and his are just five centimeters away. He wondered if Akashi would be scared if he did so, and smiled when Akashi proved him wrong; Akashi didn't slightest bit affected. He stood still.

"I'm not angry," with a smile, he repeated.

"Instead, I've been waiting for you all… Aomine-kun, Momoi-san, Murasakibara-kun, Kise-kun, Midorima-kun, and Akashi-kun."

* * *

**Review?**


	3. I'm Sorry

**Thank you everyone for your reviews! ^^ It's nice to know that there are people who actually think that my story is interesting enough to get anyone's attention ^^;**

**I was afraid if this fic is going to be confusing. well, if it starts to be so, please do tell me! and I'm sorry for lacking in grammar, this story isn't beta'd.**

**And big thanks to my brain. I got six chapters of That Phantom Player waiting to be uploaded.. xD but I must say that I'm going to update this fiction weekly. teehee.**

**Please enjoy!**

* * *

"How do you know us?"

Akashi remained calm, although he was a bit surprised when the ghost said his name.

Midorima eyed Aomine, silently asking him if he told the ghost about them or not. All Aomine gave in return just an unsure shrug.

Kuroko raised both of his eyebrows slightly. "So I was right? I'm just guessing all your names. Those are the names of my… ex-comrades."

"Ex-comrades?" Akashi asked curiously.

Kuroko did not answer. He walked around, made a circle around them, and stop before the gym doors, instructing them to not exit the building without words. They got the message, and a bit afraid what would he do to them.

"No need to worry, I will not do anything to you…" He said calmly. "But, why don't you all accompany me to play basketball? Basketball is the only thing I can touch."

"Th-the only thing you can touch…?" Kise asked scaredly.

"Yes. Just like you all thought… I'm not a human. And I…" Kuroko got closer to Kise and touch him, made the said boy shrieked "eeek!" when his hand went through his head. "…cannot touch anything."

"Ki-chan!" Momoi held Kise as if she was ready to catch him any time he wanted to faint. In fact, Kise looked like he was about to faint any time, judging by how pale his face was. That was what you get when an intangible hand went through your head.

Kuroko's expression softened. A guilt shown in his face. "I'm sorry. I did not intend to scare you, but that was the easiest way to explain it…"

"I… I'm going! And you guys must too!"

Kise ran to the door, careful to not go through Kuroko. He ran outside, left the door open so his friends could easily go. Followed by the other five, and the last person was Akashi, the only person who did not run away.

Before he exited the building, he looked back. He looked at Kuroko.

And saw the ghost's face… saddened?

"I'm sorry… all I want is just to play basketball… together…"

Akashi felt a bit guilty. A part of him wanted to stay, while other part of him was a bit too careful, afraid that it might just be an evil trap of the ghost.

"…I'm so sorry." So that was all he could say, leaving the ghost boy alone in the gym. And few metres after, the doors closed by itself and all the lights turned off.

* * *

The next day, on the third period, Kise yawned for the God knows how many times. History was not his speciality, and the teacher just made it worse by teaching it like telling some boring fairytales, except unlike this 'fairytale', you could memorize the story other fairytales contain.

He saw Aomine was already asleep in his desk. Then again, the tanned boy tend to fell asleep easily in almost every classes he was in.

Then, his mind wandered. He remembered that he was the first to leave the auditorium. It was not like he left his teammates just like that—in fact, he opened the door wide purposely so that they could run after him easily and waited outside for them, metres away from the building. That was the first time he saw a ghost, let alone interacted with one.

But, then again, all the ghost kid ask to him—them—was just to play basketball together.

No, no. It must be a trap. He heard Kuroko Tetsuya commited suicide ten years ago. Contrary to his imagination, a spirit residing the very same place for years could be an evil spirit. Kuroko Tetsuya could have been asking them to play together, only to eat them afterwards. Sounded similar to what mothers would tell to their children if they do not want their children to not follow strangers.

But, again, what's with the "cannot touch anything beside basketball"? Does the ghost loves basketball that much, that it was the only thing he could touch after he died?

Wait… he resided the fourth auditorium for ten years, with only basketball by his side.

…was he lonely?

So what if he was. Kuroko was a ghost after all. If he was that lonely, he could go to the afterlife, the place that that ghost kid really belonged to. Or, maybe that ghost was so lonely, and wanted to trap kill all six of them to keep him company in the building?

Or perhaps, it was Kise who think too much.

…or maybe, Kuroko was really lonely? Did he hurt when Kise ran just like that last night? After all ten years playing basketball all by himself, with no one to play with?

Kise shook his head, afraid the guilty feelings will sooner or later fill him.

Or…

Maybe, it wont hurt to just meet him. If something bad happen, he could always scream or run as fast as he could, though he doubt so.

* * *

Recess.

Well, that was what Kise intended.

But here he was, hiding behind some trees nearby. He did that unconsciously when he saw Midorima looked around on the way to the fourth auditorium.

The bespectacled teen had his lunch in his hand, just like Kise. Whatever Midorima did, he looked around him, almost like making sure nobody saw him. Already sure nobody was around, he sighed in relief, and continued to walk.

"Heh, he's so suspicious."

Kise almost shrieked. He turned around to see who was that, only to found Aomine stood right beside him, hiding as well.

"Aominecchi! You almost gave me a heart attack!" Kise whined.

"Can't be helped. Too curious."

Kise sighed. "Well, what are you doing here, Aominecchi?"

"Mm… to meet Tetsu, of course. I think we were just… uh, too rude."

So he wasn't alone, Kise thought. "Well, then let's just head to the fourth gym together, Aominecchi!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

And so they did. In front of the fourth auditorium, there was already Murasakibara, Momoi and Midorima. It seemed that Midorima had been caought Murasakibara redhanded.

"I-it's not like I feel bad, I'm just passing by!"

"Mido-chin isn't being honest, is he?" A munch. "I want to meet Kuro-chin. I want to apologize to him and give him my snacks."

"He isn't living being, so he cannot eat your snack, idiot."

"Mou, Midorin, don't be so mean! Mukkun is just being nice, that's all!" Momoi pouted.

"Oh, Satsuki, here you are." Aomine casually said, made the trio M's attention all to him.

"Midorimacchi, Murasakibaracchi, Momoicchi!" Kise sang.

"Ki-chan, Dai-chan!" Momoi chirped.

And Akashi was the last to arrive. He smiled when he saw his teammates, arguing about who should open the door first, and nobody wants to.

"I know you'll be here." Akashi chuckled. "I want to meet Kuroko-kun as well. I want to apologize for my rude behavior last night."

"But he's a ghost. Do ghosts appear at noon as well?" Kise asked curiously.

"I do not know. But it wont hurt to check, right?"

With that, Akashi opened the door and entered, followed by the five others. The last person entered, Kise, closed the door. As they thought, it was dark inside, the only source of light was the sunshine that shone inside through small ventilation air of the auditorium.

"Kuroko Tetsuya?" Akashi called. "Are you here? Kuroko Tetsuya-kun?"

"I'm here."

Almost everybody shrieked in surprise at the sudden appearance of the ghost. He was right behind them.

Kuroko quickly apologized. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to surprise you. It was so hard to interact with you all, since it has been a long time since the last time I spoke to anyone." He bowed.

"No, no, that's alright. We should have known that you're not used at other's presence." Akashi said. "You don't have to bow that low, Kuroko-kun. You're our senpai. Besides, it was so rude of us to leave you just like that yesterday."

Kuroko stood up again, looking at them who also were looking at him curiously.

"Ne, Kuroko, I'm so sorry. I ran away." Kise apologized. "I did not think that would hurt you."

"I'm sorry too. It's not like I feel bad to you, b-but I know I had to anyway. I-it wasn't like I had any other choice." The tsundere said.

"I'm sorry, too…" Momoi said.

"Me too." Aomine said

"Nee, Kuro-chin. I'm sorry. As a compensation, I'm giving you some of my snacks. I like them a lot, but you can have some." Murasakibara innocently said.

"I told you he cannot eat it!" Midorima scolded.

Kuroko was puzzled. However, Kuroko's lips formed a thin smile, which did not go unnoticed by the other six. They were stunned by his smile.

"That's okay. After all, it was a normal reaction I got it everytime I greeted anyone who visited this building. But not everyone—in fact, no one at all—dared to go back to this auditorium again, let alone to visit and apologize to me. You don't have to apologize, but it was me who should apologize to you, and say thank you."

"Thank you? Thank you for what?" Akashi asked.

"For visiting me… despite still having slight fear in me." Tetsuya playfully said the latter fact. Indeed they were still a bit scared, but their innocence beat their fear.

Akashi smiled. "No need to thank us either. We visit you because we want to."

"And to ask you to play basketball together!" Aomine said happily. "Ya wanna play basketball together, right? So let's play with us!"

"Aomine, we haven't had lunch, and that's no good to just play without dig any food yet to our stomach." Midorima said, fixing his glasses.

"Ah, that would be troublesome. Please finish your lunch first. I'll be waiting." Kuroko smiled. "You can eat here, nobody will know."

So they did. They ate lunch together, and as usual, loudly. Aomine stole Kise's and Murasakibara's lunch, revenged by the latter two by attacking him—Murasakibara held Aomine's body, and Kise kept Aomine's lunch box which consisted twelve onigiris and some egg chicken roll, and stole some of them, Kise took two onigiris and two egg chicken rolls, put them each in Kise's and Murasakibara's lunch box, getting a cheer from Momoi and some constant complains from Aomine, and Midorima who told them that they were so noisy that some teachers could have found them by the noises they made. The only ones who did not get involved were Akashi and Kuroko who watched them afar.

"They're so lively." Kuroko said. "It's been a long time since this building visited by such harmony."

Akashi smiled. "Kuroko-kun, tell me; are you happy now?"

Kuroko did not answer immediately. He was stunned a bit, before pulled a bright smile.

"I'm happy, Akashi-kun." He said. "I'm happy."

They played basketball together, three on three, and Momoi as the referee. Kuroko teammed up with Midorima and Aomine, while Murasakibara, Akashi and Kise at the opposing team.

"You have such weird shooting pose, Kuroko-kun." Akashi commented as the first quarter ended.

"That is because I'm specialized at passing." Kuroko said. "I'm no good at blocking or anything, but you can rely on me in passing."

"Show us, then!" Aomine exclaimed, throwing him the ball.

Kuroko reacted instantly. In a mere half of the second, the ball instantly changed direction into somebody else—Midorima.

"W… what? Why? How?" Kise confusedly said.

Midorima was taken aback. Where the hell the ball came from?

"Shoot it, Midorima-kun!"

Hearing Kuroko, Midorima snapped and quickly made three-point shoot.

"Woah, awesome, Tetsu!" Aomine said, completely admiring the bluenette. "I've never seen that kind of pass before. It's like the ball bends by itself!" He said excitedly.

"Yeah, yeah! It's just like a boomerang, Kurokocchi!"

"Kurokocchi?" Kuroko questioned the nickname.

"Ignore it, ignore it. He tends to add nicknames to random people." Aomine brushed Kise off.

"So mean, Aominecchi! I only add "-cchi" to my closest friends!"

"I don't know that we are close friends, Kise." Midorima said, "hmph"-ed.

"Uwaaah! Everyone's so mean to me!" Kise cried dramatically.

"If Ki-chan calls Kuroko-kun by Kurokocchi, then I'll call him Tetsu-kun!" Momoi said happily.

"Then I'll call Kuroko by Kuro-chin." Murasakibara added.

"You already called him that, Murasakibara." Akashi said.

Kuroko cannot help but smile. "I don't mind. You all can address me however you want."

"Yay!"

"Ah! I forgot! Let's start the second quarter!" Momoi sticked her tongue as she gently hit her own head. She completely forgot about the little match they had.

"Oh, right! Let's play now!" Aomine exclaimed.

By the end of the game, they realized that lunch break has ended a while ago, and it was almost the last period of the school already. They decided to just ditch school until the bell ring, and go back to their classroom to get their stuff done and go practice.

"I'm so sorry." Kuroko looked sad. "You all ditched classes because of me. I should not have let you all do that. I'm your senpai, after all, and I should not give you such bad example."

"That's okay, Kurokocchi! We promise it wont be a habit! We just can't help it this time because it's so fun playing with you!" Kise wanted to hug the bluenette, but decided not to, remembering the fair skinned fellow did not have a solid body.

"Besides, you don't look like our senior, with the height you have!" Aomine jokingly said, grinning.

"Aomine-kun is so mean." Kuroko pouted.

"It's time to go." Akashi cut in. "Let's head back to the class together. And we will go back to this building again to meet Kuroko-kun after practice."

"Hurray!"

"It's not that I don't mind, but I guess I have no other choice." A certain greenhead said.

Kuroko smiled. "You all are always welcomed here."

* * *

**Review?**


	4. An Encounter

**Hello, everyone! I'm back with a new chapter of That Phantom Player!**

**DarkReverie13: Yes, you are correct! Kuroko is over ten years older from our current GoMs, since he commited suicide at his third year on Teikou ten years ago ^^  
**

**Mikitsu**** Kisa-chan: I apologize, this isn't a romance fiction, this is only a friendship one! ^^; the plot centered at Kuroko's broken relationship with his ex-comrade in the past. sorry to disappoint you! ^^; and I'm sorry for the names, hope this chapter'll clarify that information!**

**The rest: Thank you for your reviews and supports! Please do continue read this story! :)**

**Warnings: double GoM (younger ones and older ones), confusing plot, ghost!Kuroko, chara death, grammar mistakes**

**I do not own Kuroko No Basket, therefore, take no benefits in the making of this fiction.**

* * *

"_Ladies and gentlemen, we have just been cleared to land at the Yokohama Airport. Please make sure one last time your seat belt is securely fastened. The flight attendants are currently passing around the cabin to make a final compliance check and pick up any remaining cups and glasses. Thank you_."

Few minutes later, the plane landed safely, and the aircraft passengers exited the big white bird slowly but surely. The rest such as flight attendants, pilots, and other aircraft workers stayed behind.

In the pilot cabin, sit a young man with blonde hair and matching golden eyes sighed in his seat.

"Finally arrived." He said tiredly.

"Exhausted, Sir?" The co-pilot asked, politely giving him a can of semi-hot coffee. "Have a drink and go straight home, Sir. You did say you have no work until this flight to Yokohama for the rest of the week."

"Thank you, Awahara-san." The blonde pilot forced a smile. He opened the can and drank it empty. "But I can't rest yet. I probably can go back to Yokohama and rest on Sunday until the following day. But today, I have to go to Tokyo."

"Some business, Sir?"

"You can say that."

In fact, the pilot did not have any particular plan to do. He just missed the city where he used to live in. When was the last time he ever visited Tokyo? Five years ago? Six? He had no idea.

There was a lot of things to miss, after all. He lived in Tokyo since he was born until second year of high school. He missed his old house, missed the convenience store and gamespots he used to hang out in, the basketball courts nearby…

And his middle school friends.

He closed his eyes.

"I have to visit Tetsuyacchi's grave."

* * *

"We're arrived."

Saturday, six middleschoolers got off of a bus. They walked to the nearest graveyards and stopped before a gravestone of certain someone.

_Kuroko Tetsuya, January 31st 1993—2008._

"So this is Kurokocchi's grave." Kise's face saddened.

"Can't believe such a person to die in such age." Aomine commented.

"You sound like an old man, Aominecchi."

No fights provoked, unlike usual. They were drowned in silence. Slowly, they gave their respect to their new friend's grave and put some flowers they brought without making some unnecessary sounds at the already silent graveyard.

"I kinda have something that bothers me." Momoi spoke. "I heard, a soul will sent to the afterlife immediately, unless the soul left some unfinished business before they're dead."

"I heard that often, too." Midorima said. "That, or the soul longed for _something_ and that _something_ hasn't fullfiled."

"Isn't Kurokocchi only ask to play basketball together to us?" Kise asked. "Why is he still in the gym yesterday?"

"Could it be that what he wants is something else? Or maybe he has some business he hasn't finished before his death?"

Akashi put some thought in it. "Maybe… it has something to do with his death?"

"He commited a suicide, after all." Murasakibara spoke.

A silence.

"Come to think about it, why did he commit a suicide?" Aomine asked.

A silence, once again. This time, it lasted longer. Nobody came up for an answer.

Akashi sighed. "We must leave now. It's almost time for lunch."

"Guess so. I'm hungry." Aomine rubbed his head.

"Me too, I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry, Murasakibara."

The six teens left. They chattered on the way ot the graveyard exit, but not before they passed by a blonde haired male who just entered the graveyard as they left.

"Uwaa, he is so handsome like you, Ki-chan!" Momoi chirped when they arrived in the distance that the man could not hear her.

"Is that so?" Kise peeked curiously to his behind, but the man wasn't there anymore.

The blonde man, with a bouquet of flowers he had in his hand, walked to a certain grave he had been longing to visit.

After he arrived, he stood firmly.

He was surprised that he found some flowers already put in his dearly person's grave. He wondered. Could it be that _they _finally decided to visit their old comrade?

Careful not to let out any emotion, let alone some tears, he tried his best to keep his face remained blank, just like the usual face of the person he visited.

"Tetsuya…cchi…"

_A sob._

But he failed.

* * *

The next day.

"Kuroko-kun. We are so sorry, today, we're leaving to Yokohama to have some practice match, and won't be back until evening. We guess we can only visit you by tomorrow." Akashi said.

Kuroko nodded. "It's alright, Akashi-kun. You don't have to apologize. I'm fine by myself."

"So… we're leaving. Take care, Kuro-chin."

"Uwaaaah! I'll miss Kurokocchi!"

"I'll miss Tetsu-kun too!"

"Shut up Satsuki, Kise! It's only for a day!"

"It's not like I will miss him or anything."

Kuroko smiled. "Good luck for the match, everyone."

"_Hai_!"

With that, everyone left.

Kuroko dribbled the ball a bit, then wondered something.

"Isn't Yokohama in Kanagawa?"

* * *

"Nee, Aominecchi," Kise seated himself beside Aomine in the train. "Yesterday's matter really bothers me."

"About what?"

"About Kurokocchi."

Aomine sighed. "Meaning, ya wondering why the hell he commited suicide?"

"Aominecchi's so smart! That's unlikely of you!" Kise laughed, getting a smack in the back of his head by the blue eyed teen.

"Well, I'm curious, too. But it's impossible to just ask him, right?"

"True. That is also bothering me, Aominecchi." Kise peeked on the three seats beside theirs. "Ne, Akashicchi, Midorimacchi, Murasakibaracchi, don't you all think so?"

Midorima turned his head away. "I'm not really curious."

"No need to lie if it's so obvious that you also want to know, Midorimacchi~" Kise "boo"-ed.

"But Kise do have a point. Well, it's not like I do not enjoy Kuroko's company, but I think it is too painful to spend years in the very same spot, remembering the probably painful memories and reasons that make him want to end his life so badly.

"And I think, we all should help him in whatever business he wants to complete in this world, so that he can move on to the place where he actually belongs to."

"…But…" Kise almost whined in a painful way. "I don't want Kurokocchi to go…"

"He must go, Kise." Akashi said sternly. "People born and die. That is the reality. Nothing lasts forever, and life must go on."

"That's true… but…"

Akashi sighed. "If only he did not choose to end his life, he could have done many things…"

Midorima's face saddened. "To graduate middle school…"

"To enjoy high school with friends…" Kise almost sobbed.

"To become professional basketball player…" Aomine said blankly.

"To eat his favorite food as much as he wants…" Murasakibara said, munching his snack silently.

Thus, they were drowned in silence until they arrived at the Yokohama train station. Too busy interacting with others as they have some depressing thought about Kuroko in their respective minds.

"What's wrong with them…?" Nijimura thought as he watching them from the back seat.

* * *

"Nee, nee, isn't that face too familiar?"

A random young woman whispered to her brunette friend as a blonde haired man with matching eyes came into a cafe in Yokohama. His height was rather tall, about 6'2 or so. With his hair and eye colors, as well as his height, made people around thought that he was a foreigner, which in truth, he wasn't. With his good-looking face, people tended to caught their eyes on him.

Especially when his face is too similar. At least, to people above twenties or so who watched basketball, at least until eight years ago or so.

He sat, and ordered an orange juice and strawberry shortcake to a waitress nearby. The waitress nervously nodded and quickly went to get his order.

"By the way, Kenichi told me to meet him at Kirisaki Middle School." The said young woman changed topic.

Her brunette friend replied, "Isn't that the middle school where your boyfriend studied at? Why going to a school on Sunday?"

"There's a friendly match with a middle school from Tokyo."

"What's special in that?"

"That's because… it's Teikou Middle School!"

Her friend's eyes widened. "Really? That Teikou Middle School?"

"Yes! And Kirisaki Middle School is rather lucky to have them as an opponent for practice match."

"You bet. Teikou Middle School won the middle school cup in first rank, for fifth times in a row!"

Then, both of them noticed something. The blonde man left his orders untouched, only leaving some money to pay. What a waste, some thought. But both of the women knew better.

"Why did the man looked as if he is in hurry, out of sudden?" The brunette one asked.

"Oops. I think we're too loud that he heard us. Of course he would react that way. I bet he's going to Kirisaki.

"Kise Ryouta of the Generation of Miracles came from Teikou Middle School, after all."

* * *

"We didn't get to play today as well." Aomine commented. He pouted in the corner of the locker room, along with other four of his teammates.

"We're benched again-ssu." Kise whined.

"I do not enjoy to be only useful in warming bench as well," Akashi smiled sadly.

"Don't complain, nobody told you that you're ready to be starters!" Nijimura sighed.

Momoi smiled brightly. "Everyone, thank you for the hard work! And now, let's eat the honeylemons I made this morning!"

Some pretended to not hear, some were innocent enough to not know anything about Momoi's miraculous cooking.

"Why's the lemon raw?!"

"How the hell in earth we supposed to eat uncut lemons?!"

"It's good that Murasakibara brings loads portion of honeylemon."

Momoi ended up sulking in corner. Not even Aomine—or maybe, especially Aomine—care even a bit to the said pink eyed girl.

"Hey, I heard coach is talking to an unknown man." A sophomore said.

"Really? I don't think coach would just talk to a random man like that." Nijimura commented.

"Dunno. But I think he looked like one of the Generation of Miracles."

Murmurs heard in the entire gym. Even six certain freshmen were a bit taken aback by the shocking news.

"Generation of miracles?" Nijimura raised an eyebrow. "What's that? A group of boyband or idol group or something?"

"Silly senpai!" Momoi scolded. "It's a group of a famous basketball prodigy, and also alumnus of Teikou! Weren't you the one who told us?"

"I did?"

"Weren't you?"

Akashi, Aomine, Murasakibara, Midorima, and Kise gave the captain a look.

"Damn, Nijimura," the sophomore laughed. "You're the captain of Teikou, yet you don't know a shit about Generation of Miracle?"

"Language," Scolded Nijimura and Akashi.

"Well, doesn't matter." He scoffed. "Generation of Miracles is a group of basketballers who made it to national in their first high school year, but quit it rightbefore they enter their third simultaneously and separated right away."

"Oh," another sophomore added. "I saw him, he watched us on the match… I think his name is Kise Ryouta."

Kise blinked. "Me?"

* * *

Meanwhile, on the fourth auditorium of Teikou.

Kuroko looked at one of the hoops passively from the edge of the basketball court. He sat down silently. Memories of the past of a certain someone took the best of him.

"_Hi, I'm Kise Ryouta! Can I call you Tetsuyacchi?"_

"_I'm glad Tetsuyacchi loves basketball as much as I do!"_

"_Tetsuyacchi, would you like to visit my parents home sometime later? They'll go overseas on summer, so it'll be empty! We can have a party! Let's head to Yokohama, six of us!"_

Kuroko closed his eyes.

"_Tetsuyacchi… why so serious? It's only basketball, after all."_

_It's only basketball… it's only basketball… it's only basketball…_

"Yes, Ryouta-kun… it's only basketball, after all."

* * *

**There's nothing much I can show on this week's update. I'm so sorry!**

**By the way, yesterday I brought myself to KnB Author Forum (yay, shameless advertisement!), and found out that Nijimura was actually a second year just like the GOMs! eeep! why the hell I'm thinking that Nijimura was their senpai, anyway?! But worry not, I'm not gonna change his role in this fic :p**


	5. Kise Ryouta?

**Yooo yoooo I'm back!**

**I'm sho shorreeeeh! end year test finally finished! with some school event following afterwards orz barely had any time to touch the laptop.**

**but finally, it's up! That Phantom Player chapter six!**

**and wish me luck, guys.. wish me lucky enough to enter the senior year :'T**

**to solve some reader's confusion, the young GOMs are only ordinary middleschoolers who share the same given and family name as the real GOMs (who are ten years older in this fiction). since it's AU, I want to spice up some things~ the younger Kise, Aomine, Murasakibara, Midorima and Akashi are only ordinary middleschoolers who are good at basketball, but are not enough to be called miracles, because they're still growing~**

* * *

"I can't believe one of the Generation of Miracles would watch our unofficial match!" Teikou's coach, Masamune Kinji, laughed. He patted—smacked—Kise Ryouta's back. Hard.

The Small Forward of Generation of Miracle laughed in pain. He wondered how the hell Teikou got this kind of coach as the replacement of the old one when he was still in the middle school. "I don't play basketball anymore, Sir. I do not deserve to be called Generation of Miracle or something like that anymore."

"Oh, you're just lowering yourself. Once a legend, will forever be a legend!" Masamune laughed once again. "We're about to head back to Tokyo, why don't you join us? It wont hurt to visit your old school, right?"

"Oh… that." Kise Ryouta grinned. "I just visited Tokyo yesterday for… private matters. But I did not have the chance to visit Teikou." He lied. He could have go to Teikou, he just didn't want to. "Maybe I'll head over before I go back to L.A." Another lie. He still didn't want to.

"That's good!" Another smack. Seriously. "I expect your visit, then! Later!"

Finally, Masamune left, leaving a huffing Kise Ryouta.

"Maybe I should head back to home… damn, I'm hungry. I didn't get to eat my cake… what a waste…"

"Wait!"

When the blonde was about to leave, a shout stopped him abruptly. He turned around to find a ravened hair guy and a pair of golden eyes just like his.

"Who…?"

* * *

There Momoi stood, bowing continuously to Teikou's coach, apologizing that she, along with five others, could not go back to Tokyo together due to family matters and that they had to have each other because they had such inseparable bonds. It was a total lie, after all.

Of course Masamune wouldn't give an approval quickly. Basketball players or not, they're still middleschoolers after all. So Momoi had to made up some stories, and ended up chit-chating with him and had to keep up the conversation at least until the boys were back.

Really. The boys left her with such responsibility. Gentlemen.

It was not a hard task to do, though. She talked about informations she found about Japan's national basket league. It took no time until the rest of the team joined their conversation.

Huffing dramatically, she forced a smile. Basketballheads they were!

"Speaking about Japan's national basket, there were five basketball prodigies who went to Teikou, weren't there?" One of the boys spoke.

Then, Momoi was starting to get interested. It was the only information about basketball that she was lacking of.

"Yeah. I bet Momoi-san, and even Nijimura knows next to nothing about them… they quit basketball ten years ago." Another one spoke.

Despite stabbing Momoi's pride, she nodded in agreement.

"Really?" Masamune asked Momoi, which was replied by another small nod. "Well, it can't be helped. They quit basketball when you all were still so young."

"Why did they quit basketball?" Nijimura asked.

"They never stated it officially. It was a waste, though. They were basketball genius, even Sport Department government planned to send them to international basketball league. They even made it to a prestigious school that specialized in sports—Kaijou High, which wasn't far from here. They even went pro in their first year, and everyone called them Generation of Miracles! But they quit basektball in their second year."

"What a waste~" Most of them spoke.

Momoi thought that was a waste as well. She knew that Aomine and the others love basketball very much. Basketball was fun to them. They even worked hard to make it to regular. She bet they'll be happy if they get to play as Japan's representative to international league. But them… the so-called Generation of Miracles dumped Aomine and the others' dream easily.

"But, there was a gossip about them. About the reason they quit." Masamune said.

Momoi and the others listened carefully, even though Masamune did say that it was just a gossip.

"What gossip?"

"People said that Generation of Miracles had a sixth man that didn't have any specific position in basketball, but still be called a genius like them… and the said sixth man commited suicide."

"Really?! Commited suicide?"

Well, it was nothing new to Momoi.

"Yes. People said they struggled in basketball even after the loss of their teammate, but was fed up with memories and quit. Rumor also said that the sixth man commited suicide because of them."

Now, it was new.

"Because of them?"

"Yes. It was only a rumor, though. So don't believe it that much." Masamune shrugged. "They never stated the real reason officially, just like I said."

Momoi bit her lip. Could it be the rumor was true?

"Coach, can you name the five people from Generation of Miracle?" Momoi asked.

"Oh, of course I remember them correctly." Masamune laughed. "They and some from our team share the exact same names, after all!"

"Huh?"

"Yeah! You probably won't believe it—their names are Kise Ryouta, Midorima Shintarou, Aomine Daiki, Murasakibara Atsushi, and Akashi Seijuro!"

* * *

"Um… we're from first string of Teikou. And I'm…" Kise paused. "Kise Ryouta."

"Really?" The older Kise's eyes widened in surprise. Then, laughed. "What a coincidence, then! I know lots who had given name 'Ryouta', lots who had family name 'Kise', but this is the first time I met another Kise Ryouta, let alone the person had the same eye color as mine!"

_Destiny is funny, isn't it?_

Agreeing it, younger Kise nodded. "Um… And they're… Aomine Daiki, Midorima Shintarou, Murasakibara Atsushi, and Akashi Seijuurou."

Then, the older Kise was struck in silence.

…This could be a joke, right?

Another laugh from older Kise.

"Hey, hey… is that for real? Are you really Aomine Daiki, Midorima Shintarou, Murasakibara Atsushi, and Akashi Seijuro? Or are you just playing with me?"

"Playing…?" Aomine raised an eyebrow. "What for? We didn't play anything with you. We were born with those names!"

The older Kise didn't laugh no more. Instead, he smiled sarcastically. "Oh, really? I thought you were just another people who wanted to make fun of me."

"What for? We did not even know you until recently." Akashi said calmly.

"If you are an Akashi, weren't you supposed to know everything?" Kise mocked."You brats are pissing me off. You all are just poser. I don't even know whether your real name is Akashi Seijuro or not."

"Hey!" Aomine yelled. "You're the one who pissing us off! We don't even know what the hell you're talking about!"

"Calm down, Aomine-kun." Akashi said. "Look, Kise-san, we really do not have a single idea what you're talking about. And no, we were not lying about our names. We were born with those names. You may take a look at my student ID and library card. I'm Akashi Seijuurou. And we do not know why you keep thinking that we were lying about our names." He explained. _And it's Seijuurou, by the way_, Akashi mentally said.

Older Kise eyed them, one by one.

Really. Despite having similar names, older Kise was pretty sure that they are really different from five certain people he knew—five, himself included.

He sighed.

"Right…" Older Kise forced a smile. "I'm sorry. I was too shocked. You four, besides Kise Ryouta, share the exact same names with my old friends."

The five middleschoolers remembered having heard that.

"_So I was right after all? I'm just guessing all your names. Those are the names of my… ex-comrades."_

Older Kise sighed. "They're my ex teammates since Teikou, until high school. That's why I was a bit surprised."

"But I still don't get why you thought that we're making fun of you." Akashi said.

"That… my bad. People around me made fun of me because I quit basketball." Older Kise laughed. "Imagine, people around you said you were such a fool. You were born a natural basketball player, you worked hard until you win junior championships, even accepted in Kaijou, school of every athlete's dream. Then, you throw them away midway. You were such a fool."

"Their reason makes sense, if I must say." Midorima said bluntly.

"But it doesn't make us want to make fun of you~" Murasakibara said. "It's too troublesome~"

"Too troublesome, you say…" Older Kise almost smiled. He remembered a certain purple headed man used to say that a lot.

"Well, look at time." Older Kise glanced on his wristwatch. "Almost four in the afternoon. I want to have some sleep." He said.

"W-wait!" Younger Kise stopped him. "We… we want to know about you!"

"About me?" Older Kise raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

"A-about you… about Generation of Miracles, and… about Kuroko Tetsuya!"

Akashi eyed younger Kise. "Kise." He said, in a warning way.

Older Kise gave a disbelief look. "…How…"

How in the world they know about Kuroko Tetsuya? Didn't they say that they even only know about himself lately?

If they knew about him next to nothing, how in the world they know Kuroko Tetsuya, the phantom sixth man that was supposedly less famous than him and the other four of his teammates?

"I-I can't wait! I really want to know everything about Kurokocchi!" Older Kise gave a look at how younger Kise addressed Kuroko. "I really want to know why Kurokocchi commited suicide! He's a nice senpai!"

"Kise, it's enough!" Midorima scolded.

Younger Kise's eyes almost got teary. "Please, Kise-senpai, please tell us why he ended his life! I adore him! I adore him very much! I respect him!"

"Kise!" Midorima held him, along with Aomine and Murasakibara, when younger Kise was about to burst into tears and approach the older Kise.

"Kisechin… it's okay. It's enough now." Murasakibara said.

Older Kise was stunned.

* * *

"_No way! Tetsuyacchi!"_

_The older Kise Ryouta ran into the fourth auditorium. He bursted into tears when he saw somebody too familiar lied down on the floor of the basketball court._

_It was Kuroko Tetsuya._

"_W-what happened? What happened to Tetsuyacchi? Ne? Daikicchi? Atsushicchi?" Ryouta eyed his two friends who already stood before the dead body. None of them answered, as if their tongue became numb. "Daikicchi? Atsushicchi? What happened to Tetsuyacchi? Why did he do something like this?" He asked again, to no avail._

"_Tetsuyacchi…"_

_His Tetsuyacchi was no longer there. Only a body of a light blue haired middleschooler lied on the basketball court with no soul. It was only his body. The owner was already in somewhere else, and wont return forever._

_It had been cleared that last night, Kuroko Tetsuya did not go home together with his fellow teammates, unlike usual. They were told by him that he needed to practice some more, and they let him be. But Kuroko Tetsuya did not go home afterwards, and this morning, the dead body of his was found. Polices assumed that he hung himself with a rope that was tied to the pole of basketball hoop._

"_Tetsuyacchi… no… don't leave me… don't leave us! I'm sorry, Tetsuyacchi!"_

"_Ryouta." A redhead approached him. "It's enough. It's no use. Tetsuya is no longer here. Calling his name like that won't do. He won't come back, let alone answer you."_

"_S-Seijurocchi." Ryouta shook his head. "No! Tetsuyacchi! Tetsuyacchi!"_

"_Ryouta, stop!" A bluenette held his body, along with a purple head giant beside him, trying to keep Kise away from the dead body when he started to shook Kuroko._

"_Tetsuyacchi! Wake up, Tetsuyacchi! I'm sorry! You're my best friend, Tetsuyacchi! I'm so sorry! I won't do that again! I'm sorry!"_

A tear rolled down onto older Kise's cheek.

* * *

**;A;**

**and yes, Kuroko, with his fellow ex-comrades, are on first name basis. because I can! /no to avoid any other confusions ^^;**

**see ya in next chapter! thanks for the reviews! :D**


	6. The First Piece

**W00T! FINALLY I'M STARTING TO UPDATE THIS BABY REGULARLY AGAIN! SUMMER'S HERE! :D**

**wheeew~ I'm now in senior year, guys! time to worry for university shit :| but I'll care about that later~ /brick'd**

**there's so much to do in this two-week worth days off~ hmm hmm hmm hmm I can write fictions, make something for 1st year anniversary Kuroko No Basuke Indonesian fanbase on twitter, continue working on my upcoming novels, revise my version of Twins by TunaForDesert (I really need to improve my english, blargh),etc! :D **

**and.. if you're confused, I'm Mademoiselle Z xD I changed my pen name to Monsieur Z temporarily for KnB Author forum event! check it out! xD /shameless advertisement/**

**oh, and there's one unanswered review from ABundleOfDaydreams: This fic confuses me so much? Why are there two Kise Ryoutas? Does that mean all the Generation of Miracles have younger doubles? Obviously they haven't died so it can't be reincarnation so what's going on? Also, if the Generation of Miracles was famous why is nobody freaked out by these younger doubles?**

**my answer is: the true GOMs is only one. the younger doubles are only ordinary middleschoolers who struggles to become basketball professional players who happen to have the same name as the GOMs. their physical appearance isn't exactly the same as the GOMs :D GOMs are famous back then but they quit basketball 8 years ago as explained in this fic, that's why the younger generations hardly hear their name. just like Michael Jackson who hadn't plan a concert or show from 2001 until 2009-younger generations hardly know him even though he's a legend :D thank you! **

**and thank you all for all the reviews and faves, everyone! you all make me happy! :D sorry for the confusions!**

**however, I see that most of you are confused with this fiction :( maybe because of confusing plot, the double GOMs, and my suckish english, no? I almost think to delete this fic.. xD but then there's DRRR. at first, I read it, and my first thought are "wtf?", but the more I read it, the more I understand. I hope this fic becomes like that! xD and I really need beta reader.. but I feel bad to burden my old beta reader (she beta my Teiko Koko fic)..**

**anyway, sorry for the long author note! please enjoy this chapter! it's 2680 long.. xD**

**Kuroko No Basket (c) Tadatoshi Fujimaki**

* * *

"H-huh?" Younger Kise stopped crying. He, along with other four, was stunned. They saw the older Ryouta was… crying?

"M-my bad…" Older Ryouta quickly wiped his tears. "T-that's all for now. I really need some rest. Sorry. Bye."

Ignoring the five youngsters who called him, he ran away, as fast as he could. And nobody could beat the basketball prodigy, even only in running.

"Why… why did he cry?" Aomine blinked.

Akashi sighed. "Probably… it was too painful to him to remember. That's why I was a bit hesitated to ask him about Kuroko-kun."

Kise sniffed. "P-probably… they were teammates, after all. Now I feel bad for losing myself in front of him."

Murasakibara patted Kise's back. "That's okay, Kise-chin."

Midorima fixed his glasses position. "At least, with this, you know what to do if we happen to encounter another Generation of Miracle. Now, stop crying."

Kise nodded. He wiped his tears off.

* * *

Older Ryouta reached his apartment.

The blonde threw himself on his bed. He sighed tiredly.

"Tetsuyacchi… I miss you…"

He picked his phone from his pocked. Then, he opened his contacts and scrolled it down.

Atsushi, Murasakibara.

Daiki, Aomine.

Seijuro, Akashi.

Shintarou, Midorima.

He stopped.

Tetsuya, Kuroko.

He kept everyone's number, until now. And he knew everyone—except Kuroko, of course—did the same. However, no one contacted each other until now.

He was not even sure whether they had visited Tetsuyacchi's grave or not. It wasn't like nobody among them cares. It was just too painful, and Ryouta knew that. Probably he was the most emotional since Kuroko's incident.

Why did he have to be such a fool? Why did _they _have to be such fools? Ryouta gritted his teeth. More importantly, why did Kuroko do such action? Is it the only way Kuroko figured to do? Really? Were they that hopeless?

Were they that hopeless?

"Tetsuyacchi…"

He flipped his phone closed. Better get some rest before he remembered anything from past…

* * *

The six teenagers, consisting Akashi Seijuurou, Kise Ryouta, Midorima Shintarou, Aomine Daiki, Momoi Satsuki and Murasakibara Atsushi returned to Tokyo. Before they parted ways, they decided to hang out a little at Maji's and have some dinner together.

Hang out a little, they said. In fact, they wanted to talk about the incident that happened few hours ago.

Midorima coughed. "So… all we could assume, that Generation of Miracles are a basketball group that-"

"Were." Akashi cut him.

"Fine. Generation of Miracles _were _a basketball group that consisted of five basketball prodigies plus one sixth man—that was our Kuroko Tetsuya—from our middle school, Teiko. They quit basketball ten years ago simultaneously due to unknown reason. And coincidentally, one of the Generation of Miracles that we met goes by the name of Kise Ryouta." Midorima spoke as he eyed Kise.

"And," Akashi added. "We're safe to assume that the rest of the Generation of Miracles have the same name as us too."

"How do you know that?"

"Didn't Kuroko-kun say that we all have the same names as his old friends? And judging by the reaction Kise-senpai gave to us, that is the truth."

"It's normal for him to rage at us like that. He must have thought that we're making fun of him since there's no way five teenagers like us coincidentally have the same name as his and his friends," Midorima said.

"Yeah, as if I ever asked my mother to give me a certain name." Aomine rolled his eyes.

"And," Akashi added once again. "I think there's something happened between Kuroko-kun and his old friends. I mean… he did not really have to act that way, right? Though it's disappointing to have such a gold go waste, especially such gold could have brought Japan's basketball to the whole new level, I think it's overreacting to bully them to the point they raged."

"No idea, man. Not everyone had the same way of thinking like you." Aomine said.

"Unless," Akashi eyed Aomine. "There's something else behind it."

"Meaning?"

"Didn't I say I think there's something happened between Kuroko-kun and his old friends? No matter how much pressure the media could give them, it won't matter as long as they have strong bonds like _us_."

Aomine, Midorima and Kise were comically blushed a bit. Really. They did not expect Akashi to so bluntly say that they had such strong bonds. However, Murasakibara looked relaxed as if he was used to that. And Momoi did not spare a single expression since the beginning, only listening at them wordlessly.

Midorima coughed. "Oh, well. Not to mention Kise-senpai cried, as if he's telling us that Kuroko committed suicide because of him."

_CRACK._

The five boys glanced on the only girl on the table. Momoi's face was all pale; she stared at the glass she just broke. Everyone in the room also turned their head to them.

"I'm so sorry! I'll pay!" Momoi bowed continuously to some workers of the Maji's who approached her after heard the sound of glass breaking. Thankfully they're kind enough to let her only pay half of it, knowing that she with the other five always enjoyed their time there almost every day.

"You okay, Satsuki?" Aomine asked worriedly.

"What's the matter, Momoicchi?"

Momoi shook her head. "N-no, that's okay. It's just that there's something bothers me…"

"What is it?" Midorima asked.

"Nah… nothing… Girls' matters! Boys shouldn't know!" Momoi exclaimed, sticking her tongue.

"Mou, Momoicchi hidoi-ssu!" Kise whined. "But we're worried!"

"Momoi-san, are you sure you're not hiding something we don't know about this?" Akashi eyed her with expectations.

Momoi gulped.

"I… I don't know… it wasn't like I want to hide something from you guys… but I'm just not sure… and I'm afraid you all will get the wrong idea if this isn't confirmed."

"Do tell us clearly, then. Tell everything you know."

"I… I can't…"

"Satsuki, relax. We won't judge you." Aomine sighed. He patted her back gently, as if he was used to this situation.

Momoi huffed nervously. "Fine… but… I heard something about Generation of Miracles from Coach…"

"Yes?"

"Coach told me that… that… there's a rumor about Generation of Miracles…"

"What is it?" The five boys asked simultaneously, impatiently.

"That… that Tetsu-kun… committed suicide… and… uh… he said, probably… the reason was… was… the Generation of Miracles…"

"**WHAT?!**"

* * *

Tetsuya dribbled the basketball around the court without breaking a sweat. The only thing he thanked for of this body was that he did not feel any physical needs—to eat, to drink, or even to rest. When he was alive, he could not go through basketball practice without puking even once. But now, he could play all day long whenever he wanted and he won't get neither fatigued nor tired.

He stopped. He wondered, if this keep going on, will he beat _them _if he were to meet up with _them_?

He shook his head. He did not even know if _they _still play basketball or not.

"Kurokocchiiii!"

"Tetsu-kuuuun!"

He turned his head to the door of the gymnasium, and then smiled. His six kouhais finally are back, with their own bentos in their hands.

"Welcome back, everyone." He greeted. "How was the match?"

"Teiko won, but we did not get to play." Akashi sadly smiled.

"That's right-ssu!" Kise whined.

"It was a waste of time if I didn't even play!" Aomine clicked his tongue.

"Why? Aren't you all first-stringers?"

"Yeah, but they aren't regulars. They're still benchwarmers. They only play if the five starters couldn't play…" Momoi giggled. "But when the chance comes, Coach picked the second years of first strings to play!"

"Even those in the second string could play in friendly matches. Not that I complain, though." Midorima said, being dishonest once again.

"I see." Kuroko said. "Well, I think you coach thinks you're not ready yet to play, don't you think so?"

"I'm more than ready, Kuro-chiiin~ coach only pisses me off that I want to crush hiiiim~…"

"Don't, Murasakibara-kun." Kuroko sighed. "Putting this matter aside, why don't you all start eating your bentos now?"

"Right…" The five boys said weakly, followed by a cheerful "okay!" from the only girl in the room.

They sat on the floor and made a circle. Kuroko joined as well, sitting and waiting patiently as the kids ate silently, without knowing what in the world those six kids thinking about. He occasionally talked to Momoi about stuffs.

Kise eyed Aomine, telling him through his eyes, '_Come on, Aominecchi, ask him!_'

Aomine chewed his chicken egg roll brutally. '_Haaa? That wasn't on the plan! Didn't you volunteer yourself to talk with him about the Generation of Miracles?!_'

'_I know, but to think again, I might hurt Kurokocchi! I don't want him to hate me! So Aominecchi, you go on!_'

'_Oi, are you telling me that you're sacrificing me?!_'

Midorima fixed his glasses position. '_Really, you guys are no use. Let me talk to him, then_.'

'_Midorimacchi, for real?_'

'_Yeah, go on. Show some tsundere charms to avoid being hated by him._'

'_What do you mean by that, Ahomine?!_'

'_Who're you callin' aho, megane-freak?!_'

'_Ne, calm down-ssu! And I'm thankful that Midorimacchi gonna help me! In this case, I don't have to be afraid if Kurokocchi will hate me again!_' He winked to Midorima.

Midorima shook his head slightly. '_On the second thought, it's better if we choose Kise to talk with Kuroko._'

'_Uwaaaah! Midorimacchi! What's with sudden change of mood?! You're giving me some false hopes!_'

'_Megane got the point. If Kise were to talk to him, Tetsu won't be sad—he'll get annoyed before he get the chance to shed a tear._'

'_Hidoi-ssu!_'

The three glanced on Murasakibara who was giving them some intense stare, as if asking him, '_What's the matter?_'

'_My garlic-flavored Umaibou ran out of stock…_'

'_MURASAKIBARA/CCHI! DO NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT YOUR SNACKS ON US WITH YOUR EYES!_'

"Fine… my garlic-flavored Umaibou ran out of stock…" Murasakibara said.

"TELLING US WITH WORDS ALSO WON'T DO!"

Kuroko, who was talking to Momoi, blinked and turned his head to the boys. "What's wrong?"

This made Akashi chuckled a bit.

"It's nothing, Kurokocchi!" Kise laughed sheepishly, while Aomine and Midorima simply continuing on their food nervously.

Kuroko looked displeased. "I believe there's something you want to talk to me."

"It's… it's nothing!"

It took Momoi not too long before she grasped the situation Kise was in. "A-actually, Tetsu-kun! There's something weird happened!"

"Something weird…?" Now Kuroko turned his head to the girl.

"Yeah… Last week, Nijimura-senpai told us a lot about you. But yesterday he was as if he didn't know you in first place!"

"Really?" Kuroko raised an eyebrow. "What did he tell you about me?"

"That you were a basketball player in our team, and that you're the sixth man of the Generation of Miracles!"

A silence.

Momoi was sure she didn't say anything that would affect his mood, yet Kuroko only sit still with his usual blank face wordlessly, but the stare Kuroko was giving to her was too intense that it was almost scary. Momoi didn't know what to do but stared back to his eyes. Knowing this, Akashi and Midorima looked at Kuroko in anticipation.

"…So I assume everyone already know about Generation of Miracles?" Kuroko finally spoke.

"H… hai. Like I said… we were told by Nijimura-senpai about that. But it seemed that he completely forgot about Generation of Miracles." Momoi said carefully.

"And I thought GOMs are well known back then."

"I'm so sorry!" The teens panicked.

Kuroko formed a thin smile. "That's okay. I don't mind. Besides, I heard they quit basketball about eight to nine years ago. You all were too young back then. The era has changed."

They sighed in relief.

"And about your senpai, probably he was overshadowed by my friend."

They froze, once again, except Akashi who looked interested. "…Overshadowed?"

"It was only a chance, though. There's also other spirits beside me who wanders around Teiko. And it's quite normal. However, only one among them knows a lot about me. Unlike me, he can go wherever he wants. He often visits me at midnight."

"I-I-I-I see." Aomine trembled the most.

"…Aomine-kun, you trembled a lot even though you befriend with a ghost right in front of you."

"Tetsu is different!" He exclaimed.

"Right-ssu!"

Kuroko smiled. "Is that so? Thank you."

"You're welcome!" Kise smiled widely.

"Tetsu is thanking to me, idiot!" Aomine smacked Kise's head.

* * *

The bell rang. The teens waved to Kuroko and walked back to their respective classes—Kise was in 1-3, Aomine and Momoi was in 1-4, Murasakibara and Midorima was in 1-6, while Akashi was in 1-1. Their classes were in the same corridor, so they won't bother to separate ways to class.

"Ne, in the end, we didn't get to ask Kurokocchi about Generation of Miracles." Momoi sighed.

"This way, we cannot help him to move on." Midorima sighed.

"How in the world we gonna do that, anyway? A wrong step and he'll get mad!" Aomine grunted.

However, Akashi seemed that he had some idea.

"Then, let's approach Kise Ryouta-senpai."

The five others turned his head to him.

"What do you mean, Akashicchi?" Kise blinked.

"Like a shogi piece or chess, in order to _ōte _the King, we cannot just go through and capture the King. But first, we had to make some moves and capture the pieces that surround the King. In this case, we cannot just go right to Kuroko-kun to help him." Akashi explained.

Aomine and Kise looked at him, confused. "Meaning…?"

Akashi sighed. "That means, we have to capture the pieces before Kuroko."

"Does that mean we had to kidnap people?!" Aomine said in horror.

"That's just a metaphor, idiot." Midorima sighed.

"Midorima is right. When I said we have to capture, that means we have to approach the pieces we can grasp. And right now, the only piece we know is…

"Kise Ryouta-senpai."

* * *

Saturday.

In his apartment, there was Kise Ryouta, who was brewing some coffees that enough for two cup in his kitchen with his right hand, while his left one was used to hold his cellphone. He seemed waiting for someone to answer the phone.

His two-storied apartment was not too small, but spacious enough for one person living there. On the first story contains bathroom plus toilet, a kitchenette with some stools so that he didn't need to buy extra dining table and chairs, some sofas, and a coffee table. On the second story there's only a room with one single bed, a desk, a chair, a small sofa, and a television with some games such as playstation, etc.

Ever since he bought this apartment, he didn't get to stay longer than two weeks in a row at home. He was a pilot, after all. He had to go to various places, often overseas, and he only got to stay at home at least twice a month.

But now, he seemed he need some rest.

His phone was answered. "Ah… Kawahada-san? Good morning. Uh, yeah… I need some rest, so can I take my vacation that I didn't take last year? Yes? Oh… yeah. I can consider taking that. Okay. So that means I can? Really? Thank you!"

Clicked.

Sighing, he dipped two cubes of sugar into the coffee, stirred it, and took a sip.

"This is relaxing…" He thought as he brought the coffee with him to the sofa. This was his routine when he was home—a cup of coffee or two before breakfast, with him relaxing on his sofa without some unnecessary sound or anything. Just him, with his coffee, sitting on the sofa. And more, he was taking some day off.

Just as he was about to have another cup, the bell rang.

"Who might that be in this hour?" Kise sighed. It was already ten in the morning, but he wasn't used to have guest so early until noon.

He got up and walked to the door. He peeked through peeking hole to know who that was.

And to his surprise, six teenagers were seen outside, eagerly waiting for him to open the door.

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN!**

**sorry for giving you too much cliffhangers. I didn't mean to. but in the next chapter, I'll try to make sure none of them found! :D**

**and yes, talking through eyes is a special ability that can be used in real world with people who have strong bonds. though I doubt anyone can talk that long through their eyes like Kise, Aomine, Midorima and Murasakibara did in this chapter xD**


	7. The Past

**I'm sorry for the belated update D:**

**and happy Ramadan!**

**Kuroko No Basket (c) Tadatoshi Fujimaki**

* * *

_"When I said we have to capture, that means we have to approach the pieces we can grasp. And right now, the only piece we know is…_

_"Kise Ryouta-senpai."_

_"Eeh?" The five spoke._

_"That means… we will visit Kise-senpai?" Kise said in disbelief._

_"How will we do it? All we know from him is that he's from Generation of Miracles, the fact that he _was _Tetsu's friend, nothing else!" Aomine said._

_"Sorry, Akashi, but I think it's too reckless… not to mention Aomine is right once in a while—"__**hey**__!"—we don't know where he lives." Midorima said._

_"It's more troublesome than talk straight to Kuro-chin…" Midorima said lazily._

_Akashi returned a disbelief look to them._

_"Come on, everyone. Do you think you're forgetting something? We know in our team, there's one person we always, always rely on when it comes to gathering opponent's information…"_

_Everyone eyed Momoi._

_"Another responsibility I have to bear?" Momoi asked in teary eyes._

* * *

"So… here we are. Yokohama Q Apartment. And on the door name was written 'Kise'. Must be here." Akashi contently said while his finger casually poking bell button continuously.

"To whose thanks?" Momoi asked, giggling.

"Thanks, Momoi-san." Akashi said, smiling.

"Akashi, I think you should stop poking the bell button now." Midorima said. "Actually, it's annoying."

"Well, but Kise-senpai isn't opening the door if we visit him patiently. Knowing him, after he peeked from the peeking hole, he'd rather go back to bed than open the door for us until we think that he isn't at home at leave." Akashi explained.

"Right-ssu… but it doesn't change the fact that I'm surprised I'd get to see you poking the bell like a grade-schooler pulling some pranks to the neighbor."

"We _were _grade-schoolers until three months ago." Aomine reminded Kise.

"Aka-chin, I'm hungry." Murasakibara grunted. "What if he won't open the door until lunch time?" He asked.

"Oh, he'll be opening the door for us in any moment."

Just like Akashi said, the door was opened a minute later. From the inside, came a blonde man who had an angry look in his face.

"Look, kids. If you got something to talk to me, you can do it nicely. And when I said nicely, it doesn't mean continuously ringing my bell door in this hour!" Older Ryouta said as he glared at the middleschoolers in front of his door.

"So we can do it after lunch?" Murasakibara asked.

"NO! I mean, don't ring the bell like that again!"

"But how could we do it _nicely _when you won't even open the door for us-ssu?" Younger Kise asked.

"I don't know?" The grumpy look didn't disappear from Older Ryouta's face.

"And the door is open now, that means we can start talking to you nicely!" Momoi said happily.

"And I hope you will give me some of your snacks." Murasakibara said lazily. "I'm hungry."

Older Ryouta sighed. "Come in."

* * *

The six teens sat on the sofa, facing Older Ryouta who sat across the coffee table. Everyone in the room was tense except Murasakibara who started to stuff his mouth with marshmallow and orange juice Older Ryouta served.

"So… what do you want to talk about?" Older Ryouta asked.

Akashi took the initiative to spoke first. "I'm sorry, Kise-senpai. I'd like to ask you… are you really Kise Ryouta from the Generation of Miracles?"

"I thought that's obvious."

Midorima sighed. "Well… we want to ask you… why you quit basketball."

"Does it matter to you guys?"

Aomine started to glare. "Well…"

"We are Kuroko-ku—Kuroko-nii's friends." Akashi quickly said.

Older Ryouta raised an eyebrow. "Sorry?"

"Well… we happened to be a bunch of childhood friends who live in the same neighborhood when we were five or so. And there was this onii-chan who always plays with us in his spare time. His name is Kuroko Tetsuya."

Older Ryouta blinked. "Really? I never thought Tetsuyacchi did some babysitting in his spare time. Not that I'm surprised, though."

"Yes. But when we were six, Kuroko-nii stopped playing with us. Our moms said he passed away. And when we were a bit older, we learned that he committed suicide at school. So six of us decided to attend Teiko to find out why, but no one knows, even the teachers. So we took a moment to do some thinking.

"We remember he once told us that he's the sixth man of the Generation of Miracles. So when we knew you are Kise Ryouta from the Generation of Miracles and watched our match last week, we decided to go after you to find some information about Kuroko-nii's death."

Aomine and the four other blinked at Akashi. Sure they were childhood friends, but Aomine was smart enough to know they did not attend Teiko to find out about Kuroko, much less know the ghost when he was alive.

"…I see."

'_He's buying it!_' younger Kise thought in astonishment.

"And… yeah, we decided to pay a visit to you to ask some things about Kuroko-nii… I mean everything you can give out to us about him." Akashi said carefully.

Older Ryouta sighed.

"I don't know if I can tell you kids. I mean, it sounds like you're so close with Tetsuyacchi, and I guess you'll hate me once you know the gossip…"

"….The gossip that Kuroko-nii committed suicide because of Generation of Miracles?" Akashi cut him.

Older Ryouta blinked. "So you heard it already?"

"We heard the gossip, yes. But we want to know the truth, not the gossip."

"But… I doubt you'll less hate me once I told you."

"That's okay. Spit it out. We're ready." Aomine said.

"Fine… I'll tell you…" Older Ryouta said.

* * *

_We were childhood friends, Tetsuyacchi and I, along with others from Generation of Miracles._

_We spent our childhood playing basketball. There was not once we spent the day without playing a game or two together. Five of us even had to do some jankenpon to decide who'll have Tetsuyacchi in the team. If some of us didn't get to play on the same team with him, we would be sad for the whole day, and he would be the one who would cheer us up. Our plays were sloppy back then, but we had fun._

_Then, we entered Teiko. A favorite school of grade-schoolers graduate. Actually there's only one of us who really wanted to enroll Teiko—He's Akashi Seijuro, and I call him Seijurocchi—but we all decided to stick together in middle school. I guess we were really bonded that we almost think ourselves as brothers._

_But in Teiko… everything changed._

_Our talent bloomed._

_Basketball was no fun anymore. We played and won as if it was a routine. Adults even only see us as a tool for the school's motto: a hundred games, a hundred victories. They demanded us to bloom more and more to the point we would crush our opponent's hope in basketball without even thinking about it. We weren't seen as human or as basketball players—only tools to lift the school name._

_Thus, we grew to hate basketball, more, more and more each day. We cherished the days we didn't need to play. And to be honest, it hurt to see a basketball ball whenever I wasn't on practice or game._

_And it hurt even more to hate something you once loved so dearly._

_Everyone from the Generation of Miracles grown to hate basketball…_

_… Everyone but our sixth man, Kuroko Tetsuya._

_He struggled to make us love basketball once again, all effort in here and there, only to knew it was only to no avail._

_And then, we did it. We said it._

* * *

_"Where do you think you're going, Atsushi?"_

_Murasakibara Atsushi, the tallest man of the Teiko Basketball Club, yawned and turned his head to the smaller kid with red hair._

_"Sei-chin, it's obvious—I'm going home. This practice is useless, they can't beat me~"_

_"Is that so?" The heterochromia eyes glared at him. "So you're aware of the consequences if we failed to win tomorrow's match only because you're not practicing? You'll put the team to shame."_

_"Hai, hai, Sei-chin~"_

_A tanned teen yawned. "I'm off as well, then."_

_"Dai-chin, let's head to the convenience store on the way home~"_

_"You don't need to say such thing, Seijuro." A teenager with a pair of glasses with the same shade as his green-colored hair and eyes sighed. "He doesn't need to play his best tomorrow. It will only do harm to the opponent's team morale."_

_The redhead smirked. "Nobody tell them it'll be easy to win against us."_

_Kuroko Tetsuya frowned. "Seijuro-kun, Shintarou-kun, it's not nice to make fun of your opponent."_

_"Since when we're making fun of others, Tetsuya? We're only telling the truth." Seijuro glared at him. "Go back to practice."_

_"Why should I?" The bluenette still frowned._

_"I thought you're really fond of practices. And don't question my orders."_

_"_Were. _And it's because you guys practiced as well. Come on, let's practice together. The head coach already gave us the privilege to use the fourth gym only for six of us, so we should use the opportunity wisely. And besides… this is our last time practicing together at Teiko."_

_"I'm touched, Tetsuya." Seijuro smirked. "But sadly, we didn't need to practice intensely anymore. The head coach also told us that we don't need to practice as long as we win, didn't he? We will surely win our third championship tomorrow."_

_"But that still doesn't explain why I should practice without you all."_

_Seijuro glared. He cut off the distance between himself and Tetsuya. "You're so stubborn, Tetsuya. Don't make me say it."_

_"Say what?"_

_"Enough, Seijuro." Shintarou warned him._

_"Right, right! That's enough!" Kise Ryouta approached them. He smiled to Tetsuya. "Ne, Tetsuyacchi, why don't you go practice with me?"_

_"Right, Ryouta, go practice with him, since you're the weakest among us all." Daiki scoffed._

_Ryouta glared. He shoved Daiki. "What's your problem?!"_

_"My problem is…!" Daiki gritted his teeth. "You keep showing us your annoying dishonest smile to us! You want to skip practice as well, you think you're capable to play in tomorrow's game as well, but you don't, and you keep practicing, only because Tetsu is here! Only because you feel bad about him! How can I say you're not the weakest of us?"_

_Ryouta gasped. "What… that's… not it!"_

_Tetsuya's eyes widened._

_"Enough, Daiki!" Shintarou scolded._

_"Ryouta-kun… is… is that true? You're only practicing because you feel bad about me?"_

_"NO!" Ryouta snapped. Seconds later, he sighed. "I-I'm sorry, Tetsuyacchi. But… most things Daikicchi said is true… I-I don't need to practice anymore… and seeing Tetsuyacchi insists to go on practice hurts me…_

_"I mean… come on… Tetsuyacchi… why so serious?_

_"It's only basketball, after all."_

_A silence filled the fourth gym._

_"… I understand that you all don't need any practices." Tetsuya finally spoke._

_"Tetsuyacchi?"_

_Everyone turned their head to Tetsuya._

_"I'll keep practicing. I'll see you all tomorrow at the final tomorrow."_

_Thus, he bowed, and started dribbling the ball._

_"Honestly, Tetsuya. How in the world you will practice alone?" Seijuro folded his arms._

_"You play basketball by yourself, then why can't you practice basketball that way?" Tetsuya said._

_An irritated look shown in Seijuro's face as the four others had a cautious look in their face. No one in the basketball club dare to defy the redhead captain, not even Generation of Miracles, much less talking back to him._

_Tetsuya frowned. "I really mean it. This is not a team. It's a wonder we win several matches with this kind of team."_

_"We win, anyway, and nothing else matters. And you will listen to me—there's no practice today."_

_Everyone but Tetsuya cheered._

_"Seriously, Sei-chin? I kinda hope you'd say that all this time~" Atsushi smiled slightly. "These practices have been so troublesome~"_

_"I second that," Shintarou commented. "Now I have a spare time to spend in delight."_

_"B-but why?" Tetsuya asked._

_Seijuro raised his eyebrows, amused. "This is what you get for talking back to me, Tetsuya. There'll be no practice today, whether you want to skip practice or not. And that counts you."_

_"That's the rashest punishment for Tetsuyacchi, Seijurocchi!" Ryouta protested. "He can play if he wants to play! He had been playing basketball with us for years, and he will play if he wants!"_

_"Care to repeat it, Ryouta?"_

_"Ah…" Ryouta gritted his teeth._

_"A punishment indeed. Tetsu can't live without basketball. He might just die having a day without playing one." Daiki commented._

_Shintarou fixed his glasses position. He sighed. "I'm sorry, Tetsuya, but you were so wrong talking back to Seijuro like that. And you just cannot force us to practice."_

_"But why? Isn't it normal to practice before a match?"_

_Seijuro shook his head. "We're not normal, Tetsuya. We playing basketball are not normal in first place. We are miracles."_

_ "I dislike your attitude. Your arrogantness. I'm sorry, but there are a lot of people who really wanted to be like you."_

_"Like who?" Atsushi mocked._

_"Like me. I honestly hoped you won't make me say it." Tetsuya pouted._

_"I really hate to admit this, but sometimes, I really want to be like you, Tetsuya." Seijuro glared._

_"I could have had so much more goals in my life." Daiki continued with a glare as well._

_"I'm not telling you that I like losing, but I dislike winning easily as well." Shintarou added._

_Tetsuya clenched his fists. He looked down, but his teammates were sure he wasn't pleased. "But… but I'm so envious of you all! I wish I could make three-pointers, dunks, dribbling through opponents… all of you could do that nicely while… while I can't! So I'm doing my best passing all those balls…"_

_"… Passes?"_

_"To who?"_

_Tetsuya lifted his face. He saw the five of them stared at him expressionlessly._

_Then, it hit him. He didn't realize that it has been so long since the last time he passed the ball to any five of them. He stopped since they told him it was no use, thus, making him passing the ball to anyone else beside the five._

_And he hardly ever played in matches, since the five of them could win without him._

_"To the kouhais?" Seijuro asked. "Sure, let them play. Though I'm sure the head coach won't let them play for tomorrow's final. They're unprepared."_

_"Or," Daiki smiled sadly. "To us? To what end?"_

_"Even though we can win all by ourselves, against anyone, even without your passes?" Atsushi continued._

_Tetsuya didn't reply with anything._

_Right. They can win by themselves. Even on one-on-five. They were capable and fine by themselves._

_"I hate to say this… but Tetsuya… since the beginning of this talk… you're really making me saying this… even Shintarou had to warn me… even Ryouta had to distract us…_

_"But you're weaker than us. And nobody would deny that._

_"And we can win without your help."_

_And in fact, Tetsuya couldn't play on matches without helping them._

_Tetsuya didn't react, did nothing but staring at them blankly, even if they started to leave one by one, starting from Seijuro who ordered them to leave._

_"Sorry, Tetsu… but that's the truth." Daiki turned his head, before he left. "I… don't even remember how to receive your passes anymore."_

_Tetsuya choked._

_And there was only Tetsuya and Ryouta left in the gym._

_Ryouta carefully tried to talk with him. "Tetsuyacchi… I'm…"_

_"It is fine, Ryouta-kun." Tetsuya emotionlessly said. "You don't need to say anything. You may leave now. I'll be playing here by myself."_

_"B-but Seijurocchi told us to not practice today…"_

_"I will not practice, Ryouta-kun. I'll only play by myself. Or maybe only sitting around… by myself."_

_Ryouta sighed. "Right…"_

* * *

_"We won,"_

_Daiki stared at the score board blankly. Teiko Middle won the championship by thrice of the opponent's score._

_"We won… we make this as our third championship win." Ryouta forced a smile._

_"And this is our last win in middle school." Seijuro said._

_"We win now… but where's Tetsu?" Daiki yawned._

_"He's not attending the match… how unusual." Shintarou commented. Unusual indeed, since the bluenette would never skip any practices or matches even though he was sure he won't play._

_"Is he mad?" Ryouta asked sadly._

_"Huh~ and I thought I can treat him some milkshakes after the match as an apology~" Atsushi said lazily. "Guess I'll text him~"_

_"Might as well drop by Maji Burger. Tell him to be there in five minutes." Seijuro said. "…and tell him we'll be celebrating our third championship win. That way, he would consider joining us."_

_"Okay~"_

_The moment Atsushi started typing on this phone, Daiki's cell rang._

_"Is it Tsuya-chin?" Atsushi asked._

_"No… it's _that _woman." Daiki sighed._

_"You mean _her_? Now that we're mentioning about _her, _I don't see _her _today."_

_"_She_'s sick, so I told _her _to not come. We'll win anyway." Daiki lazily said. He answered his cell. "Hello?"_

_"_So I heard what you guys said to him._"_

_Daiki raised his eyebrows. "Hey, slow down, no greetings or anything?"_

_"_I can't greet you normally. Not after what you did to him._"_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"_He told me that you guys can play basketball without him._"_

_Daiki sighed. "Look, we're really sorry about it, and we are just about to call him to ask for forgiveness and take him to Maji…"_

_"_Save your sorry asses. He won't be hearing that._"_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"_Because… because he's no longer here,

_"_And it's you guys fault!_"_

* * *

_We ran._

_We ran all the way from the championship place to the school. We did not even care about the people who were looking at us because we didn't even change our clothes, and the people who cursed at us because we bumped into them without spared a moment to apologize. We ran. We ran madly._

_And we entered Teiko's fourth gym._

_There were already few people gathered inside. Some of them were our teacher, some of them were our coaches from different strings, and I could easily spot a certain pinkette among them, burying her face in her hands._

_And there he was._

_Kuroko Tetsuya was laid on the floor of the gym. His face was pale, and there was a rope around his neck._

_I cried. I shouted his name. I went mad._

_I was about to approach him, but was stopped by Daikicchi._

_I cried. More and more. I promised that I won't do such a stupid thing again, as long as he would open his eyes. I apologized to him for God knows how many times._

_But he wasn't answering._

* * *

"Because he's no longer here… and it's you guys fault!"

* * *

_One day later, all five of us attended his burial ceremony. Even when everyone left his grave, no one of us snapped into reality and kept staring at his grave mindlessly. Five of us cried without voice that could be heard by him._

_ We cannot do anything that time. Anything but taking the blame on ourselves._

_We blamed ourselves for Kuroko Tetsuya's death._

* * *

Meanwhile, on the fourth gym of Teiko Middle School …

Kuroko stared blankly to the court. It had been hours since he sat mindlessly on the edge of the court, alone.

He wondered why the six kids did not tell him anything about them being absent in the fourth gym at all. Could it be they became so bored of him? The ghost senpai wasn't interesting enough to them?

Will they gradually forget him and leave him alone again?

Kuroko did not even know why he started to miss his comrades… _again_.

He choked.

"It… hurts to be alone."

And suddenly, some basketballs that were placed by Kise and the others on the corner of the gym, started to flow by themselves for a few seconds, without Kuroko noticing.

* * *

**aww. I did it. I kinda explained Kuroko's past.**

**in case you guys don't realize: I haven't spill Kuroko's death in the rest of GOMs point of view, and there's one mysterious woman appears in this chapter :) can you guys guess who is it? I think it's pretty easy**

**and I'm sorry changing the story POV without announcing. but I hope it's easy to guess which part is in third person POV, which part is in first person POV :) I'm sorry**

**please enjoy and review!**


	8. Don't Leave Me

**I forgot to put this yesterday.. o.o**

**anyway, yaaaay, here's chapter eight! I'm so sorry the storyline is going too slow.. I don't even know if it's worth it.**

**and, senior year has started! :D that means.. I'll be too busy to update each stories once in a week. maybe I'll go with once in two or three weeks. I'm sorry!**

**hope you like this chapter? :D**

**Kuroko No Basuke (c) Tadatoshi Fujimaki**

* * *

The six teens walked to the empty seats of the train they just entered. They sat together. But, unlike any other group of teenagers, they only sat quietly. Heads low, all of them.

Kise turned his head to the window of the train. The sunset shone on his face, making the usual cheerful blonde hair and golden eyes become dull orange. And he saw it on the reflection of his face on the window.

He sighed. He cannot get rid of what was repeating on his mind.

* * *

"_That's all I can say."_

_Older Ryouta sighed. As he expected, the kids' expression was mixed—anger, confusion, disbelief, miserable, you name it._

_They must be angry of him. Must be angry of _them.

"… _It's time for you all to leave."_

_Akashi was the first to react. "Ah, but—"_

"_Seriously, that's all I can share to you brats. Now leave me alone and let me have some peaceful sleep to get rid this shit out of my head."_

_The kids were obedient this time. Within a minute, they left Ryouta alone in the room._

_They closed the door._

_And Kise was the first to burst out to tears, followed by Momoi after she saw Kise's tears._

* * *

When they have arrived at Tokyo, Akashi got an idea.

"Let's head to Teiko."

The other five turned their head to him.

"You really mean it, Akashicchi?"

"Why not? We're all feeling down… and I do believe that by playing with Kuroko-nii, we can recover and be happy." Akashi smiled.

Aomine slapped his forehead. "Talking about Tetsu… I haven't tell him that we weren't going to visit him today."

"Ah, right! So we have to play basketball with Kurokocchi right now, just like Akashicchi said! And we can tell him we have some errands to go before visiting him, so he won't feel we neglected him today! It's like killing two birds with one stone!" Kise said cheerfully.

Midorima tried to fight the urge to smile. "Really, Akashi, we haven't even reach Teiko, yet Kise is cheerfull already."

"The idea a

lone makes me happy, Akashicchi!"

"I'm happy that I will meet Tetsu-kun today, too!" Momoi chirped.

"And I feel like sharing my vanilla candies with Kuro-chin…"

"For the nth times, I'm telling you, ghosts don't eat."

Akashi gently smiled at the brightened atmosphere. Though he was the person to enjoy a silence relaxation, he of course would prefer the loud them than the quiet them. Those five won't fit to be described with the word "quiet", after all. "I am glad."

* * *

When they got off of the train, they quickly made their way to Teiko, right to the fourth gym.

"OKAERI-SSU~" Kise slammed the doors open.

"Oi Kise, you're too loud!"

And there Kuroko was, standing in the middle of the court, forming a straight line from the middle lane to the gym entrance. Kuroko looked a bit surprised to see them.

"…You came." All the ghost could say.

The teens' face saddened at the ghost's response.

"Mou, Tetsu-kun, we're sorry. We were very busy today, and we just made it here…" Momoi said sadly.

"Tetsu… don't be mad at us…"

"Gomen, Kurokocchi…"

"The fact you get angry at us… bothers me."

"I'm sorry, Kuro-chin…"

Nobody dared to look at Kuroko, nobody but Akashi. Five of them was caught in the atmosphere in which they were kids who felt sorry for being bad to Kuroko.

"Kuroko-kun… you're… mad?"

Kuroko did not answer.

Instead, he ran into Akashi, with his hand reached to Akashi as if he was trying to hug the slightly taller male.

Akashi almost shivered for the sudden temperature change. Kuroko's embrace was cold. Almost his entire body was surrounded by Kuroko. It felt weird. He could _slightly _feel Kuroko's skin, and even the fabric Kuroko wore. The ghost was still almost transparant and intangible, to the point Kuroko would _almost _entered Akashi's flesh, yet, did not. It puzzled him a bit, remembering that the ghost could not touch anything beside basketball.

And he could feel the bluenette trembled.

"… Y-you all came… I can't believe it… I-I thought you won't visit me anymore… I thought you will leave me alone once again…"

So that was the case. Akashi smiled. His shivering body began to go normal again. He let Kuroko hugged him all the ghost wanted.

"What are you saying, Kuroko-kun? We won't do such thing. We sure cannot promise to be beside you always no matter what… but one thing you may note, we will not leave you _willingly_."

Momoi gasped. "So Tetsu-kun is lonely? W-we are sorry, Tetsu-kun!" Momoi tried to hug him, but failed and instead had her shivering skin—due to the cold temperature she suddenly felt—went through Tetsu's body. "Kyaaah!"

"Don't worry, Kurokocchi, we're up for some basketball plays!" Kise exclaimed.

Kuroko let Akashi go, slowly forming a thin smile. "Hai, Kise-kun."

"Great! But…" Kise looked around. "… why's the gym all mess?"

The seven just realized that the gym was really messed up with the balls in here and there. Even Kuroko blinked at this.

"I don't remember touching any of them." Kuroko said. "I was sure they're all in the large basket where Kise-kun put all of them in."

"W-weird…" Aomine's eye twitched.

"Well… that's weird indeed…" Momoi looked scared.

Akashi rubbed his chin. "… I don't know what happened, but let's clean all this mess and play. I believe it won't took too long to only put all the basketballs back to their rightful place."

"Okay, Aka-chin~"

"Well, I suppose it can't be helped."

"Let's do that-ssu!"

Kuroko smiled. "I'll help you…"

* * *

Monday.

Older Ryouta got off of a train from Yokohama to Tokyo station.

He smiled. Sincerely.

It wasn't like he didn't feel any guilt anymore. It was just, half of his burden being lifted.

He needed to thank to those kids who visited him last Saturday.

Before, he felt like the weight of his body being added half as much into every inch of his body. It was hard to breath. Hurt, to the point he did not know if it was a physical wound or his internal ones.

But now, it was different, since last Saturday.

Ever since he told the kids who visited him, things changed. At first, he was a bit regretting it. But then, he took a quick nap, and when he woke up at night, he felt refreshed. He guessed all he needed was just ears to listen to him. Ears to listen to his burdens.

He smiled.

He made his way to Kuroko's neighborhood, then stopped by Kuroko's household. He rang the bell.

A minute later, a woman with a waist-length light blue hair opened the door. She looked as if she was in her mid-twenties, but Ryouta knew better.

"Good morning, Tetsuyacchi's mother!" Ryouta smiled cheerfully to her.

"My!" The woman smiled back. "If it isn't Ryouta-kun! It has been awhile, isn't it? Come in! Sit while I get you something, okay?"

Ryouta nodded. He made his way to the living room by himself, as if it was his own house. In fact, he used to do this until about ten years ago. And thus, he sat on a sofa in Kuroko's living room.

Mrs. Kuroko entered the living room with a tray full of cakes and tea.

"I usually have my tea-time in the afternoon, but it won't hurt to have them a bit earlier, no?" She giggled. "Come! I have some scones, truffles, macarons, and muffins! Oh, I have two slice of strawberry cheesecake, too!"

"Thank you, Tetsuyacchi's mother~" Kise took a banana-flavored macaron and ate it. "This is good, did you made this?"

"Yes." Mrs. Kuroko smiled, but only to lasted seconds. "Look… I… I think everyone's forget about Tetchan… I mean… he was easily forgotten, no? And… and you were the first one to visit this house after… after that… and this is your first…."

Mrs. Kuroko couldn't say it clearly in complete sentences, but Ryouta didn't need them to understand her words. She didn't need to elaborate them. Ryouta understood clearly.

Ryouta's look saddened. "I… I'm sorry… it was… so hard… for us. I guess we haven't matured enough to face this reality… reality that… that he was gone. Forever."

Mrs. Kuroko sighed. "That's okay… I know someday you will come, one by one. I know Ryouta-kun, Daiki-kun, everyone, will come to this house. I know you will visit Tetchan." She smiled.

"Actually, I did." Ryouta grinned.

"Really?" Mrs. Kuroko leaned forward in interest. "You did?"

"Yeah! I did! Well… took me years to build up courage to visit him…"

Mrs. Kuroko leaned more, and hugged him from across the table, in which Ryouta yelped a bit. "Oh my… my… I can't believe this… Tetchan must be happy…"

Ryouta returned the hug awkwardly, before pulled himself back. "I'm… happy as well."

Mrs. Kuroko giggled.

"Well, putting that aside, Ryouta-kun, how's life?"

"Aah…" Ryouta leaned back on the sofa. "Flight schedules are hectic lately. But I'm taking a vacation."

"Being a pilot is good, but it's better to know your limitations, no?" Mrs. Kuroko chuckled.

"Yes. And I started this vacation in a nice mood."

"What do you mean?"

Ryouta laughed. "Well, those kids visited me."

"Which kids?"

"They were little friends of Tetsuyacchi when they're still small kids. They used to play basketball a lot with Tetsuyacchi when Tetsuyacchi isn't playing basketball. I cannot believe Tetsuyacchi hadn't say any words about it."

Mrs. Kuroko raised an eyebrow. "Kids?"

"Yeah. From your neighborhood."

Mrs. Kuroko laughed. "I doubt, Ryouta-kun. Tetchan was the youngest in this neighborhood, followed by Mrs. Yamaguchi's newborn baby one month after Tetchan's death… and the people and families from our neighborhood have never changed since I moved here with my husband."

Ryouta's eyes widened. "What?"

* * *

**shoot.. it looks like I cannot just end this chapter without another cliffhanger.. I'm sorry.. it wasn't like I like to put them in every end of the chapter.. but that's an important scene, so..**

**and I just had to put some slight AkaKuro here xDDD;;**


End file.
